You Think You Know Me
by BeautifulBabeForever
Summary: Steph has one of those weeks and it changes almost everything about her life. Does anyone really know who she is? Not Cupcake Friendly. Some Babe. First attempt at FanFic. Rating Change to M for Language.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. No physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

You Think You Know Me

Prologue

As I sit outside the mansion of my latest target in the dark of night I let my mind wander back to a time not so long ago that it still sends chills up and down my spine and makes me want to just scream at the top of my lungs. I realize that after this particular mission I will be heading back to deal with some unpleasantness, but it needs to be done. As my mind drifts I start to think about what it used to feel like growing up in the "burg".

Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your own skin? Have you ever thought that there was something that you were meant for, but didn't know what that thing was? I have always had big dreams, like wanting to fly. However, when I jumped off the roof at the age of 6 years and broke my leg that was the beginning of the end as far as my mother was concerned. Anything that I wanted to do she made sure that it didn't happen. I was a hyper active kid, so she decided to place me into gymnastics to use up the extra energy. She never stayed to watch, so I was able to convince my coaches to teach me things that were for much older students. I had to beg them not to tell my mom, and explained that she would pull me out if she felt I was doing anything other than what she expected in the lessons. She forced me to take dance classes which I hated at first, till I convinced my teachers to let me learn all the ballroom dances, including the Latin dances. I loved the music and was able to learn everything very quickly. She never stayed to watch these either. Hey what can I say, she wanted me out of her hair. My mother also forced me into Home-EC classes until I blew up the kitchen at the community center. Hey, it wasn't my fault! She had all of these expectations of her next "burg" clone, but to tell you the truth it just wasn't me. Where was my dad in all of this you ask, well he worked at the post office and didn't talk much. My mother dealt with us kids and we weren't to disturb him. I honestly don't remember him being around all that much as a kid other than at the dinner table and in front of the TV.

Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, you know my name as Stephanie Plum and I am not currently in Trenton, NJ. I have been gone for over 18 months and have enjoyed every minute of it. I no longer live by the "burg" standards, not that I did that much while I was there, but now I am almost nothing like it. In the "burg" women were housewives, with 2.5 kids, white picket fence and stayed home to take care of their husbands. You could be educated, but not too much, if you know what I mean. You were never to exceed your husband. For the most part you were to be seen and to help spread the rumors of the neighborhood, otherwise not heard. You accepted your life as status quo and even if your husband cheated you were to keep your mouth shut. You were to marry your high school sweetheart and only sleep with that one person for the rest of your life. (Ha the standard for the men was to bed any and as many women you could before you got married. See the double standard there?) That was never in the cards for me and I fought with everything that I had against it, even though I still wanted to please those that said they loved me. What can I say, with my personality as a people person I try to make those around me happy even if at that time it made me unhappy, but not anymore.

You see after an incident 18 months before I left Trenton I was changed forever. My loyalties had almost completely changed. But we will get to that later. I no longer look to certain people for support and found my calling. And it is definitely not what my mother had planned for me. Yeah me, but too bad, so sad for my mother. Hey what can I say, I am still a bit bitter.

One thing I will never understand is that because you come from a certain area and because of whom your parents are that people automatically seem to think that they know who you are. In the "burg" you are expected to be this nice little square peg to fit into this nice little square hole. Well, I've got news for everyone there, I am not square and I don't intend to change. Looking back at my life I can see where they think by my outward appearance you could picture what I used to look like actually going along with the plan, but they never took into account my brain. Everyone thought that I had a difficult time in college, ha, that is a laugh and a half. My grades may not have been that great, but that was only because I took more than my share of classes, some of which they never knew about. If you were to look at my transcripts you would see the types of classes were not all for a business major. You see I also took Psychology classes, Chemistry classes, Physics classes, classes on Terrorism and many Histories of the world. The only thing that I was lacking in was languages. I have always had an easy time talking to people and finding out more information than they had planned on telling me. I also made friends with what some people would consider unsavory characters due to my special talent. Along with my "spidey sense" that tells me when things just do not add up I have come into some pretty interesting information over the years. Some would say that this could be deadly, but these people also know how loyal I am and that they can trust me.

That loyalty is why I find myself sitting out in front of the Mansion of one Anthony Giambucchi of the Giambucchi Crime Family waiting for him to arrive so I can have a rather important discussion with him and set some things straight between his family and the ones I am doing this favor for. As I look at my watch and realize that it is now 8:30pm in Chicago and I have been sitting here for only about 30 minutes I sit back and stare out the window as the rain slowly covers my windshield and ponder what used to be before I return to what I used to call home.


	2. Chapter 2 The First Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

Chapter 1 The First Confrontation

Maybe since I am sitting her thinking about my past the weather is reacting to my foul mood and feelings of disdain. The rain started coming down harder making it more difficult to see through my windshield, but no matter, it won't affect the outcome of what will happen this evening. The clumsiness and lack of confidence that used to be the Bombshell Bounty Hunter has been replaced. I hope the citizens of Trenton are ready for me. That thought alone has a smile gracing my lips, soon to be replaced by a sneer as the Incident as I like to call it comes to mind.

(Flashback)

Sitting on the curb at the latest fire that has sent my car to "car heaven" I place my head in my head in my hands and start to laugh inwardly. 'Can nothing go right for me today?' I think to myself. The idea of my skip Willie "Slick" Watson tripping with his gun in hand and shooting my gas tank and the car exploding just surprised me. He shot at me three times never getting anywhere near me while looking straight at me, but as soon as he turns around to run and trips he gets a direct hit to my tank full of gas. What are the odds? Well this is me we are talking about, as I shake my head again. At least I have my pocketbook and all of its contents with me. Well maybe I should have kept that though out of my head, because the next thing I hear is someone screaming at me. Well, not just anyone, Joe Morelli, the one that supposed to be my boyfriend. I look up at him as he walks over to me read faced, hands clenched at his side, veins bulging in his neck and forehead ready to get in my face. If I was not so pissed off at him I would have laughed my butt off.

"What the hell Stephanie, you almost got yourself killed again! That is it, you are quitting this job and moving in with me tonight and we will be getting married this weekend. I am tired of you making me look bad. Do you know how many phone calls I have gotten in the last 10 minutes alone? I am the friggin laughing stock of the "Burg" and I have had it." Joe yells at the top of his lungs. All the firefighters and police working the scene and the busy bodies that have come out to see the latest of my exploits have become immobile waiting to hear what comes next.

"You will not be working at Rangeman and you will stop acting like their whore as of today. It is time for you to accept you place as my wife and have my children. I will not have my wife acting like a whore and embarrass me more than you already have. Have I made myself clear?" Joe is still yelling at me.

I decided to stand up since I had been sitting with my chin in my hands since he started his rant waiting for him to blow off some steam and then I would hit him with all I had. I looked around to see everyone staring at me, including some of the guys from Rangeman waiting for my response. I look back at Joe and smile. He must have thought that he won because he starts to grab for my arm when I slap him right across the face with as much force as I could. The intake of breath that comes from the crowd was so loud you could have heard it for blocks. Joe just stands there holding his cheek with the look of utter shock on his face until I start talking. "How dare you call me a whore! You should be one to talk since you have been cheating on me for months. Haven't you Joe?" I look him in the eye and there is nothing, no response, no acknowledgement not even denial. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Well I have news for you, Detective Morelli, is this even your crime scene? No, I didn't think so. You didn't even come here to find out if I was ok did you? You just want to insult me and try to command me like a dog. Well let's see how you like what I have for you here." I pull out the pictures of Joe and his latest bed mates, plus a few others I was able to capture, one being Terri Gilman and hand them to him, all showing him in the act. I can only be thankful to think that we have not had sex lately. At least a few days before the first pictures were taken. "How do these pictures look to you? Who exactly in the whore in these pictures? Let's see, Joe's with a red head straight hair, hmmm, not me since I have long brown curly hair oh and I don't have a tattoo on my hip either. Do I Ranger?' This said with a smirk on my face. "This one, Joe with a short haired blonde, hmmm that actually looks a lot like a strip club in the background and the clubs emblem is branded on her shoulder. I don't have blonde short hair and I certainly don't have a brand on my shoulder do I Lester?" I turn to look at Lester as he stares at me in shock but shakes his head no in response. "Lester you could always come over here and help me take my top off to help prove that little fact to everyone if you like." After waiting a few seconds of him not approaching I continue. "Ah, and here is another blonde, this time with long blonde hair, but I know who she is so we will just skip over her, shall we? I have about three others; shall we discuss those as well? And just so you know I was the one who took these pictures. No one else was around when I did it." I look at Joe and see the pure hate coming from his eyes, but I am not where near done with him.

I bend down to my purse and pull out five copies of the evening Trenton Post and pass a few out to Eddie Garza, Carl Costanza, a group of Firefighters and then one to the group of guys from Rangman that includes Ranger, Tank, Lester, Bobby, Cal, Junior and Manny, while I keep the other copy for Joe. Before handing it to him I open the paper to its full length and read out loud the headline for the evening edition "Trenton Detective Caught with Pants Down" the laughter from those that I gave the papers to stopped as soon as I started talking again.

"This paper is coming to your local newspaper stand as we speak. They were more than happy to move their original story further in the newspaper when I approached them with this information since I am certain that the number of papers purchased will increase exponentially when people see the cover. I know I will be receiving a few extra copies along with the Chief, Mayor and our District Attorneys office to see if there were any questionable relations between you and any of these women. I certainly hope that none of them were involved in cases that you are or were working on, because that could cause quite a problem for you don't you think?" The look on his pace went from red to pale in a matter of minutes when I mentioned that. "You will also notice that the article does not include the names of those involved to protect their identity, and that a certain picture is also missing from the paper, however the Chief, Mayor and District Attorney also have a copy of that one as well." I lower my voice so only Joe can hear and said "Out of respect for Vito I don't want to drag his family through your mess, even if I think that Terri is a tramp and a bitch and should get what's coming to her. And she will don't you worry. I also have a few others that you may not want out there some are a bit more surprising than others, depending on who you are." I paused and looked around to see smiles on the guys from Rangeman, smirks on the cops and firefighters, and total shock on the busy bodies. With a smile of satisfaction on my face I turn back to Joe and glare at him and speak again so everyone can hear me. "So in answer to your demands that I quit my job, move in with you, and get married this weekend? Do you honestly think that I would be willing to do that? No way in Hell is that going to happen. EVER! Do you hear me? Do not call me, do not talk to me. If you see me on the street I suggest that you go the other way. Why, because if you attempt to make contact with me other than having ANYTHING that has to do with my job, IF you are still even working with the TPD when this article and it's contents are investigated, I will make this article pale in comparison to what I would do next. Do I make myself clear?"

I got no response from Joe until I picked up my purse and headed towards the guys from Rangeman with their big shit eatin grins. The only words that came from his mouth were "This is not over Cupcake."

I rounded on him quickly and reminded him "I was not the one in those pictures with you, and you better make sure you think twice, or maybe even three times before taking me on because I will make you wish that you had never met me. I can assure you of that Joe." Turning away from the cheating louse and feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

(End Flashback)

I shake those thoughts from my mind and grin as I remember the bounce in my step walking away. Even though that day had been tough, where I am today was well worth it. Do I think that I should have done something differently; sure, like never having gotten involved with him at all, but if I had not gone through that would I be where I am today? No Freaking Way! Do I regret the article? Not one little bit. That article was so much fun to help create and watch the fall out ensue that had nothing to do with me. Well for the most part anyway. I do feel like I wasted time on him, even though I could never love him the way that I should have to make a relationship last, but he was a Morelli and none of them have ever been faithful to any of their wives. Some were even abusive, but hey that was the "burg" and you were not supposed to know those types of things.

I think the only issue that I had was about his career. Joe was a good cop for the most part. Well aside from getting it on with women involved in some of his cases, which was a very stupid idea on his part. What was he thinking? Obviously with the wrong head this is for darn sure.

The thank you card that I received from Vito Grizolli for keeping Terri out of the drama as much as possible made me smile. That man certainly had a way with words. Unfortunately for Terri she did not receive the same type of note I did. But hey, we can't all be in his good graces now can we. Okay yes, I am an evil bitch sometimes, but hey, don't piss me off, because I will get even and most definitely when you don't expect it.

That thought alone made me look at my watch again to see that another 30 minutes had passed. Soon, Anthony Giambucchi would be arriving and I would have to be at my fullest awareness, not that I thought I would encounter any trouble.


	3. Chapter 3 Just Another Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off them.**

**Thank you to suedesign101 for your support and encouragement. And a giant thank you to all that have read and reviewed so far. I am so happy that my story have been so well received. I look forward to your comments and please let me know if you ave any suggestions. I love to hear from you. Happy Reading.**

**Just Another Confrontation**

The weather seemed to be calming down for the time being without much changing in my observance of the Giambucchi Mansion. An unusual unease crept over me, but in my old life that would not have been a shock. In my new life, I seldom had any feelings of unease; I just simply dealt with the situation. I guess that my feelings must have been triggered by the new memory that flooded my mind as I gripped the steering wheel hard enough to make it grown from the force of my grip. When I realized what I was doing I released the steering wheel and noticed the leather grips had some serious dents in them. I chuckled at myself that I still had such a violent reaction like this, but then again this is my mother we are talking about.

(Flashback)

_Two days after the Incident with Morelli, on a Saturday and I was still avoiding going to my parents house. I just didn't feel like getting lectured yet again that "he was your last chance at happiness," and "what an embarrassment you are as a daughter," and that "You need to apologize to poor Joseph for embarrassing him and hope that he would takes you back." I mean come on, who says that to their daughter? My mother, that's who._

_The phone in my apartment rings and goes straight to the answering machine, since I changed it to answer on one ring, and on came the voice that I so did not want to hear and a tone that was like nails on a chalkboard (Yeah I know I was already in a mood before she called, so sue me) "Stephanie Plum you will be at dinner this evening at 6pm or else!" my mother stated and then hung up. I ask myself 'Or else what? Does she plan on disowning me? Cutting me off from dessert forever? Ordering me to marry Joe?" Okay so yeah probably all those things, but you know what? I don't care what she does. She can just accept me or not, that's her choice and she will have to live with it._

_As time passes I get ready for dinner, and decide to just go dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, no sense in getting all dressed up to get bitched at, right? So at 5:55pm I pull up in front of my parent's house to see only my grandmother standing in the doorway, hmmm, interesting. Grandma Mazur has a big old grin on her face and she is bouncing in place._

_Getting out of my car Grandma Mazur starts talking "That sure was a nice article you had run in the paper Steph. What a pip, it has been the talk of the town for the last two days. No one can believe what happened and how Morelli is under investigation with the PD. Oooh, this is so good I can hardly stand it. I need some new information to take to the salon with me, is there anything you didn't include in the article, like their names that you can give me? I also heard that there were some pictures left out of the paper to protect parties unknown. Can you tell me about those?"_

_"Sorry Grandma everything that could be publicized was in the article. There may be other information that comes out in the investigation, we will just have to wait and see when it does." I give her a kiss on the cheek as I walk in the door._

_Grabbing my arm grandma pulls me into a hug and tells me "You mother is on the warpath. She asked your sister to come tonight, but she refused to take part in her plan tonight, whatever that is. I don't know what her problem is about all this, but I want to tell you just how proud of you I am. You stood up for yourself and helped others in the process as well. And I don't just mean those girls in the photos. You gave hope to those in situations that they felt were hopeless. I hear that other women in the "burg" have been rethinking their current situations as well because of your courage and strength." A single tear slides down my face as I smile at her when she releases me from the hug. I should have known that my grandma would always support me. With her encouragement I walk further into the house and was not disappointed by the welcome that I received._

_As soon as were at the dinner table my mother starts in. "Stephanie how could you do this to poor Joseph? He is an honorable man and your last chance at happiness. Now his name has been slandered and his job may be in jeopardy because of your selfishness. You have been seen for months with all those thugs out on the town and the way that you dress makes you look like a whore. No daughter of mine will make such a spectacle of herself. You will go back to the paper and have them retract these awful lies that you have told about Joseph and then you will go to him and beg for him to take you back. Do you hear me?"_

_I look her straight in the eyes and respond, "Yes mother I hear you, but I won't do it. End of story." The look of shock on her face almost made me giddy. But only because I knew what was coming next._

_"How dare you tell me no! I am your mother and you will show me the respect that I deserve, and do as I say. You are such an ungrateful child and I can not for the life of me figure out how you turned out this way. You were given every opportunity to succeed as a housewife and mother and yet you choose to be a bounty hunter, at which you are absolutely no good at all. You roll in trash and embarrass this family on a daily basis. You will not continue to embarrass me, do you hear me?" My mother chooses that moment to stand up from the table returning to the kitchen where we could hear the cupboard door being slammed closed had her glad of brandy hitting the counter, assumingly empty now._

_My father looked at me after placing his fork down on the table before he spoke, "You know that I have kept my mouth shut for the most part when it comes to your job and what you do, but I have to say that even this action that you have taken with Joe has been over the top. You should have found a better way to handle this rather than try to ruin the man. I thought you were raised better than that." With that he picks up his fork and begins to eat again, as my heart felt like it almost shattered into a million pieces. My mother's comments I could take, but my father not remaining silent like normal and actually telling me that he is disappointed in me was more than I could bear._

_When my mother returned to the table she seemed a bit calmer and started to eat her dinner figuring the conversation was over and she was getting what she wanted. Boy was she in for a surprise. I looked over at grandma who gave me a tight smile and winked at me. Seemed she knew what was about to happen._

_I placed my fork down on the table and calmly stated to my mother "You know mother, you have never supported me in anything that I have done. So it is no surprise to me that you feel the way that you do. This is exactly what I have been trying to avoid for the last two days, but since you issued an order to attend dinner here this evening you basically issued me a challenge that I am more than willing to meet. I have no intention of doing as you say. I will not apologize to Joe, I will not retract the story, I will not go back to him and I will not at anytime in the near future become a wife and mother. I don't want those things. That is your life, and obviously not a very happy one." At this comment she gasps and gives the sign of the cross over her chest. I continue my speech my voice rising in volume with every sentence. "How dare YOU tell me what to do! I am an adult and I will live my life how it suits me, not you. If you don't like it that is TOO DAMN BAD! The article is 100% accurate and the Mayor, Chief of Police and the DA's office are investigating Joe's involvement with women involved in cases he was working at the time, which is completely inappropriate behavior. He abused his power as an officer, and that is what he is in trouble for, that is why the names of those women were withheld. To protect them, not a cop with an ego so big that he figured that he would never be caught. Those women were taken advantage of, besides the fact that he was cheating on me. When this came out I was not thinking of myself, or at least not as the main reason to go forward with this article. And as far as his name, slander would mean that I would have made false statements of his actions. The only one who has had their name slandered in this picture is me. You yourself called me a whore, yet you know nothing of what truly happens when I go out with those men that you so easily call thugs, when you don't even know them."_

_Taking a deep breath I continue "How could you choose to take the side of someone who is not related to you and expect your own daughter, your flesh and blood I remind you, that it is okay to be married to someone like that. Shouldn't you be supporting me and telling me that 'you will find someone that is right for you?' No, of course not, that would upset the world and expectations of Helen Plum and the "Burg". Heaven forbid that should happen. Any crimp in your plan and you blame it on me as always. No matter what I have done I was never good enough for you. You never stuck around to witness any classes you insisted that I take as a child, you just left me at the door and came and got me when the time was up. You were always ready to push me off onto someone else rather than deal with me yourself. Don't think I didn't notice your disdain for me even as a child. After getting ignored my entire life by you it gets easier to take after a while. You know it actually wasn't until I started bounty hunting that you actually paid more attention to me, but then again it was all negative of course. You call to complain and reprimand me for my so called scandalous and embarrassing behavior. I think I liked being ignored better. At least I didn't have to hear your annoying voice all the time directed at me."_

_My mother stood up from the table and had a look of hate flash over her face when she spoke to me next "You are no child of mine. I will not tolerate being spoken to in this manner. Until you change your tune and do as you are told you will not walk back through that front door." She turned to stalk away from the table but stopped as I began to speak to her again in the calmest tone that I could manage._

_"So you can dish it out but can't take being called on your short comings? Believe me there are quite a few that I have not even touched on yet tonight. Since I am not to return to this house, as you have so nicely put it, I may as well get it all off my chest so that I don't have any regrets when I walk through the door tonight for the last time. You are a hateful, spiteful woman and I am glad that I am nothing like you. You only belittle others to make yourself feel better, and for what? You think you should be able to hold your head up high because you seem to think you have more dirt on them than they have on you? Well let me tell you something, you dirty laundry is far worse than half of the skips that I pick up on a regular basis, Ms. High and Mighty. You see, after tonight I have no loyalty to you, so I would not hesitate to let a few little pieces of information slip that you may or may not want to be spread about you. You may want to think about that the next time you hear something that embarrasses you, because it won't be about me, it will be about you and only you, or at least the only one from this family will be you." I let that comment hang in the air for a minute, enjoying the pale look of my mother's face. "You see, you call me a whore when I have slept with fewer men than you have. Is that a shock to you? It shouldn't be, considering one in particular is the same man for both of us is it not? Hmmm, nothing to say? Just so you know, I have photographic proof. And yes, I was the one that took it." I let the evil smile spread across my face at her silence._

_I decided to turn to my father and was surprised when he spoke up first, "Steph, I think that is quite enough. This has been more than enough for one night I think." I clenched my fists at my side trying to hold on to the anger that was beginning to boil over. Was that all he had to say?_

_"You know you could have stood up for me with her at any time, but instead you chose to remain silent as usual. Do you even care that the man your WIFE thinks that I should sacrifice my life to marry has slept with so many women that it would be easier to count the amount of money in Fort Knox than keep track of them all? Do you not care that he has behaved inappropriately with women while in the line of duty and is being investigated by the Mayor, the Chief of Police and the DA's office as we speak? Is that the type of man that you want to call a son? You have never stood up for me and just let her dictate my life how she feels it should be run. Not once have I even seen you stand up to her and tell her to leave me alone or tell her to encourage my interests. I know that you always wanted a son, but you didn't even attempt to do the fun things with me that you could have done with a son." I take a deep breath and let my shoulders slump down as I look back up at him. "I know that you also have secrets that most don't know, but again as I told her," thumbing my finger over my shoulder at my mother, "I have no loyalty to you, since you obviously have none for me, so don't think I won't spill any of them if I hear you saying bad things against me in public. You chose to tell me that you thought I could have handled the situation with Joe better instead of trying to ruin him, well I've got news for you, I didn't approach the new paper they approached me, and as for the ruining, I believe that he did a pretty good job of that himself, considering it was his actions that went public not mine. For your sake I hope you have a good life, because it won't be for mine." My father remained his silence and a look of shock on his face. I guess he was not expecting this reaction from me._

_I turn to look back at my mother saying, "Don't expect me to be back anytime soon, because I will never give you what you want, that being another "burg" clone of yourself. Honestly I can't understand why anyone would want to be heartless like you." I picked up my pocketbook, walk over to my grandma giving her a hug and kiss telling her to call me if she needs anything, receiving a wink and a squeeze on my arm for support before she releases me._

_I walk to the door, but before I open it I turn back for one more look at my parents standing there with shocked looks on their faces and stated "By the way, the pot roast was horribly dry tonight, you might need to rethink your recipe." I see my mother crash to the floor, my father standing there staring down at her and my grandma laughing so hard she was holding her side. I walk out the door with my head held high, a weight felt like it had been lifted from my shoulders and walk to my car. Before I drive away from my parent's house I start to laugh hysterically as I remember the last comment that I made to my mother and think to myself 'wow I wish I had said that to her a lot sooner, I wonder if she actually will be trying out new recipes.' If I know her, and I do better than she knows herself in some cases, she most definitely will be. Driving off my laughing slows to a giggle that doesn't stop until I get into my apartment._

(End Flashback)

Still to this day that final comment to my mother makes me laugh, and hard too. I don't think that I will ever forget the look on both my parents at that moment. It is one of my favor memories to think about, at least the end of the conversation. Hey I am no masochist, but there are few things from my former life that can bring a smile to my face quite as easily as that look of pure shock they showed. At least I still have the support of my Grandma Mazur, and surprisingly my sister Val has even made an effort to accept my life, or at least the parts that she knows anything about. It saddened me at first that almost my entire family turned on me, I mean aren't your parents supposed to love you no matter what you do? Well, we are talking about Stephanie Plum here, so of course nothing in that time of my life would go the way everyone would usually think.

Shaking those thoughts from my head yet again to ward off those thoughts of the past I return my attention to the view of the Mansion. Only another hour before Anthony arrives. I can't tell if I am happy to get this over and done with, or whether I dread the time passing because then the return trip to Trenton will be that much closer.

At that moment my phone rings and I answer it on the first ring "Lo."

"Are you in place?" asks the voice.

"Yes sir. It shouldn't take too much longer before the job is complete." I stated.

"Good, will I see you this evening? Or are you planning on staying in Chicago tonight?" the voice asks.

"I am actually not in a hurry to get out of here if you know what I mean." came my response.

"I can understand that, but you do realize that it is time right? There is much to do here that you are needed for." reminds the voice.

"Oh believe me, I have no question that it is time. I have no worries about what others think, since most of them know nothing."

"Alright, I will see you in the morning then. And remember, your loyalty will be rewarded as always." states the voice.

"You do remember that there is no price for that loyalty, right? Rewards are not necessary between us. I will see you in the morning. And by the way, tell him I said 'hello' will you? See you soon." I say with a smile that graces my lips. If he only knew how far I would go for him, for his support, his love and his acceptance of me means more than anything that could ever be bought.

"I do remember, but I can give you things if I want, and right now I want to. I will tell him hello for you. I think he will be more excited to see you than I am. But then I see you more often. Be safe." And he hung up.

I take a deep breath and smile at the thought of how happy he will be to hear from me. Tomorrow I will see him again, and that thought alone will be enough to squash the feelings of unease of my return. It has been a long time coming and they will not know what hit them.


	4. Chapter 4 Preparing For a Change

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**Preparing for a Change**

A chill starts to set in me as the night progresses, and my attire does nothing to help matters. Rain coming down and the temperature dropping rapidly is not the appropriate time to be wearing a tight mini skirt and halter top that hugs my curves so well that if they were nude rather than black you would have thought I was sitting here naked as the day I was born. Sheesh, what I won't do for some people. Oh well, at least I got a nice spa day out of it, with a massage, facial, mani-pedi, make-up and hair done without having to lift a finger. Somethings are worth being a bit cold I guess. I have dressed for some odd distractions in my past, but this had nothing to do with a distraction. I know I look good and have no problems with showing it off, and if that garners me some extra male attention so much the better, even if said male attention is from a highly feared Crime Family such as the Giambucchi's.

I snicker to myself thinking about how I used to feel when I dressed for distractions and lack of confidence in myself and then that sudden shift to self acceptance that took place so long ago.

_(Flashback)_

_I had finally decided after the Incident with Morelli that I was tired of the way that people treated me and that was going to stop ASAP. I was going to do what ever it took for that to happen. So I decided the first step would be to approach Ranger and the core team about my plan. They may think that I was crazy, but I knew they would be willing to help me in anyway if I asked because they were true friends and I could count on them for anything._

_As I walked off the elevator on the fifth floor of the Haywood building I was greeted with a round of applause. At first I was confused, but then I saw the news paper article plastered all over the walls of the entire fifth floor. I could not help but laugh. The guys were impressed by my actions, but they didn't know the whole story._  
_When the applause finally died down I replied "Thank you for everything guys. Your support has meant more to me than you will ever know. I only hope that the pig gets what is coming to him." I pause for a moment and then state, "I hope that I don't hear about him being attacked by any muggers anytime soon." with a slight smile on my face. I hear some groans and an 'oh man' here and there, but I can't help but smile bigger at them this time. "Believe me he will get what's coming to him if I have anything to say about it. If he knows what is good for him, Morelli will not attempt to approach me or even speak about me." I let that statement hang in the air and hear some cheers. Man it feels good to stand up for myself and have the guys support me. That is a new feeling for me; I only hope that it continues._

_I walk towards Ranger's office and knock on the door, and quickly hear his gruff "Enter" and I open the door. He looks up from his paper work and smiles his 200 watt smile at me then asks, "What can I do for you Babe?"_

_I take a seat in a chair on the opposite side of his desk and begin to tell him about the training I want to start. Some of it surprises him and others just make his smile get even bigger. After I complete my list of desired skills he lifts his eyebrow at me and stares at me in silence with his blank face in place for a few minutes. I wait him out, which was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to me considering I usually have no patience. When he finally speaks he only says one word, "Why?" King of the one word response, good grief._

_I take a deep breath before I start to respond, "Because I know what I want to do, and nothing will stop me from getting what I want." I simply state before I continue. "My entire life was run by someone else and I had no control over it. I was never given the encouragement to succeed at anything that I wanted. Not that I expect you to be my cheerleader, I don't need that, I will be my own cheer section. I need someone that I trust to help me with the skills that are needed to be successful at the job that I have chosen because I like my job. I have a sense of accomplishment when I bring in my skips and get them off the streets and back behind bars. I know that with the skills that I have mentioned that I will be able to not only be successful in the job, but I will also be able to stop the trash talk in the police station and the bets on my life and the next screw up as they call it. I don't want to be anyone's entertainment anymore." At that statement I see him flinch slightly at both the words and the harshness of my voice. "If you are unwilling to help me then I will find some who will, but I came to you first because I trust you, and if I think I am right I believe that you trust me as well. Let me know if I am way off base here and I will walk away right now." I wait for his response as he studies me to see if I am serious or not._

_"I will help you, you know that. I want you to succeed at what you want choose to do, if that is what you want. But Babe, this will not be easy, you understand that, right? This will not happen over night and you will have to change a lot of things that you are used to doing and eating. Can you handle that? I mean really handle that Babe?" He looks at me with all the seriousness of that blank face and waits for my response._

_I return his look and nod my head in acceptance. "Ranger I have never been more serious about anything in my life. I know what I want and as I said before, nothing and no one will stop me from accomplishing this goal. I am willing to put in the work, but I also need you to understand that if I feel that you are holding back in your training of me I will find someone who won't hold back. I appreciate your help and am willing to put forth the effort to do this." Believe me I hate exercise, but I won't let that stop me now. I want this to damn bad, I think to myself. I watch his eyes widen at my statement but he agrees even if he has reservations. I guess we will have to see how far he will take me._

_"Okay Babe, lets call in the core team and get a schedule set up for you. We will start on Monday. Since today is Friday you can rest up for the weekend, because the pain will start on Monday bright and early at 5am. Understood?" I nod in agreement, groaning internally, but understanding that I need to get used to getting my butt out of bed before the sun comes up. Ranger picks up his phone and calls in the core team and they appear two minutes later. Looks of surprise on their face when they see Rangers blank face and no emotion on mine as well, a look that I soon hope to master._

_As we all sit in Ranger's office the guys hash out who will do what type of training and when each will take place. The suggestion that I move into the building for ease of access to the equipment and the guys flies back and forth, but I quickly explain that at the current time I have no intention of moving, at least not until I have some of my other activities that I plan to be completing in place. That earned me a round of questioning looks. Ranger raised his eyebrow at me again, but I just nod and give no further information. Accepting this Ranger moves to the computer and puts the schedule together that was discussed and prints us all out copies. I read it and notice that I am mainly working with the core team, with the exception of Ranger. Instead of helping with the training he will be overseeing my exams each month to marking my progress. Fine by me, after all getting close to him physically for things like self defense and hand to hand combat would probably not help me to train._

_The schedule that they came up with puts me with Lester for Self Defense, Defensive Driving Techniques and the Gun Range. Bobby is handling First Aid since he is the medic, also Strength and Endurance training. Tank is going to cover B&E as well as get me an instructor for Parachuting since they have connections for that type of thing. He plans to accompany me on the first few visits and then will be leaving me by myself with the instructor once I get my legs under me. Hector will be getting me updated on all the computer systems they have available, as well as teach me to hack systems and the setup of Rangeman security systems and then teach me how and where to leave video and microphones for hidden surveillance, along with all the knife skills that he knows for throwing and hand to hand combat. Then Woody, Brett and Erik will be rotating on the fighting lessons of Boxing, Karate and Krav Maga. Cal and Hal since they were both Seals will be taking me swimming to improve my strokes and increase my lung capacity. Ella will be handling my nutrition since man made sugars are being removed from my diet 95% of the time. Oh boy I have a lot to do, but at this moment in time I am so looking forward to it. I need to talk to Ella to make sure that she comes up with some sugar free desserts. Even if I don't get to eat them I need something that tastes sweet and can trick my brain into thinking it will be getting sugar. If anyone can do it, that person is Ella I have no doubt._

_The guys look at me to approve my schedule and I agree without hesitation. All of them look at me like I have lost my mind. "Well guys, I better head out, I have a few more things that I need to add to this schedule that you can't assist me with at this current time so I better get busy. I guess that I will see you here Monday morning at 5am in the gym right?" I asked before I stood to leave._

_"What exactly are you adding to your schedule that we can't help you with Beautiful? That seems like a pretty full schedule as it stands. Are you going to have time for anything else?" Lester asks._

_"Some of the things are just refresher courses on things I have done before but you don't have the facilities for what I currently need and others are things that you will be able to help with in a few weeks, but I have to get started first. You will find out soon enough Lester, believe me you will find out soon enough. And if you would personally like to help me with them that would be just fine with me." I let his imagination do the work for me. I may not be talking about sexual exploits, but Lester did not need to know that. I noticed there was a definite scowl on Ranger's face that was quickly replaced by his blank face when he returned his eyes to my face. I was smiling brightly as I kissed each of them on the cheek in thanks for their help and exited Ranger's office before they could ask any further questions._

_I heard Bobby's voice as I stepped out the door closing it behind me state "Well this should be interesting. I have never seen Bombshell just accept what she was given before. Do you think that she's serious with all of these activities? And what exactly is she signing herself up for outside of this schedule?" I smiled to myself as I walk to the elevator thinking 'if they only knew all my plans, just wait guys'._

_I ran into Vince in the hallway on my way out and asked him if he had a second to talk to me. See I know that he is full blooded Italian and I also know that he speaks fluent Italian with some friends and all of his family. "Hey I was wondering if you could help me brush up on my Italian? I know you speak fluently and I am really rusty. My parents did not speak to each other in any language other than English so the only people I learned it from were my dad's parents and they died quiet a few years ago. I want to brush up so I can carry on a conversation if I want to. Do you think you could help me out?" I asked him._

_"Sure Steph, anytime you are around I would be more than happy to speak to you in Italian. Do you remember a lot, or do you need to start from the beginning?" He asks me._

_"Well, actually I have had some interaction lately with some that speak fluently and I plan to get a program for the computer this weekend and try to refresh my memory, so Monday lets see where I am and go from there?" I suggested._

_"Sure thing, see you on Monday. Have a good weekend." Vince states as he walks off._

_"Thanks, you too." I smile to myself and get on the elevator thinking that now I only have to get into Spanish, and French, sign up for access to my old the gymnastics gym and see if any of my old instructors could recommend someone for that refresher course. I know that I need to become more limber and regain my balance. The last phone call will be to the dance studio for the refresher course on all the dances I need to remember. This should be fun, now who do I pick as a partner that I can trust to keep their mouth shut? Hmm, I will have to think about that one._

_(End Flashback)_

That day was the start of my new life and it still makes me chuckle that I had the whole Core Team of Rangeman dumbfounded. I guess they forgot that when I set my mind to something I was like a dog with a bone and never gave up till I get what I am after. The first few weeks of the physical training were murder, but I never complained much to their surprise, I just kept going. I think that one of the things that surprised me the most was that the languages came so easily. Since I had already known Italian from my grandparents and had the basics of the language down Spanish and French were not hard to pick up at all. I think having a group of people behind me and supporting me helped my confidence. The team at Rangeman helped me with making sure I was not only fluent in all three languages, but that I could easily shift from one language to the next without a problem. It only took me a matter of three months to become fluent in all three without issues. The gymnastics is still something I practice on a daily basis and can use it in my real life as well. It has been a great stress relief and it definitely helps to be limber and elevate myself in certain situations if need be even if I have more than just myself to vault upwards.

Now the dancing, I am looking forward to getting back to my partner because I miss the way his body forms to mine on the dance floor and we can hold eye contact like we are the only ones in the room even when there are many other couples on the floor.

With all of the help that Rangeman provided I was able to exceed expectations and much sooner than any of them had expected. I am not sure how long Ranger expected me to last or even how long it would take me to complete the training if I did, but after six months I was begging for more. I needed a new challenge both physically and mentally. I also needed the distraction from him physically. He had pulled away from me physically and I guess that I will never quite understand why. My personality had not changed, however I was now goal driven. I was still a people person; outgoing and friendly, but had more confidence. Maybe the fact that I could take him and Tank down on the mats by myself had something to do with it, but he never said a word to me. The touches and kisses just stopped.

My phone buzzed and I looked at the text message I just received. "Target on the Move. ETA 30 minutes." Well, I guess I wouldn't have to wait much longer which was nice. My legs were really starting to get cold.

"Alright, let's get this done then." I stated to myself. I readjust myself in my seat and check out my gun with a silencer, making sure it was loaded, knowing full well that it was, but better safe then sorry. I drop it in my clutch purse and sit back to wait for the next 30 minutes.


	5. Chp 5 A Not So Surprising Turn of Events

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**A Not So Surprising Turn of Events**

The cold air just kept getting colder. Who said that it wouldn't snow in April in Chicago? Well, I've got news for you the rain just changed to slight snow flurries in front of my eyes. Damn weather men wouldn't know their heads from their you know what if they didn't have someone to tell them where it was. For crying out loud it was beautiful earlier today, then the rain and now snow. Holy crap this night could not end soon enough at this rate.

Now having thought that, I think about where I am headed tomorrow and I debate on changing my mind about the night ending soon. Don't get me wrong I have all the confidence in the world that I can handle myself, it is those that can't that have me worried. I have heard some of the ridiculous stories from some contacts about what has been said about me and just have to say that people are way, way, way off base. Another group of people that would not know the difference between their head and their Ass. Good grief. Boy will they be surprised when I return. Just thinking of a few people in particular I get that evil gleam in my eye and allow the sick looking smile that I have mastered in the last 18 months.

In all honesty I think that most of the comments will be for the positive. The Merry Men were always supportive no matter what I did or didn't do. My grandma is still alive and kicking and reeking havoc where ever she goes, while loving the life in my old apartment that I pay for gladly. That way she wouldn't have to deal with the ungratefuls. I get regular letters from her through channels that she or even most people can't understand, but at least I have an idea of how she is doing and what she is up to.

Now Ranger, I'm not quite sure what his reaction to me will be. He knows where I have been for the most part, at least to get trained and who with. As far as the activities, I can honestly say that he has no clue. I sent him a few messages through my employer and they were gladly delivered. The only response I received back was "Glad your okay." Not even a "Babe", or a "Proud of you" that I used to get. I really don't understand the man. I honestly don't think that he understands himself. I still trust him with my life and would hope that the feeling is mutual but I guess we will find out fairly soon. With that thought the sadness of one of our last conversations before he went into the wind for a year on a black ops mission plays in my mind over and over on a regular basis.

_(Flashback)_

_I knock and walk through the open door into Ranger's office after a day of doing fieldwork and bringing in one of the higher dollar skips that Rangeman does and sit in the chair. He looks up at me from his paper work and smiles at me. "What can I do for you today Babe?" There is a gleam in his eyes that I have not seen in a while, and am not completely sure what it means._

_"Ranger, I have some new skills that I want to learn. I need a new challenge. I have already mastered all that has been thrown my way, but I am becoming restless. I have some ideas that I thought that I could run by you and get your opinion on where I could get the skills that I want to have. Do you have a few minutes?" I smile shyly up at him unsure of what his reaction will be once I get it out there._

_"Sure Babe, I always have time for you. I know that you have been acing all of your tests for the last three months; we could add some new skills for you. I am impressed that you have exceeded my expectation as well as everyone else in this company. You have scored better than many of my other employees. I can see that a challenge would keep you happy. You have done amazing Babe. What do you have in mind?" He sits back in his chair with fingers together under his chin waiting for my answer._

_I take a deep breath and let it out before I go into detail about what I want to do. The more explanation I give the higher his eyebrows go up his head. I can see that his fingers go from relaxed to clenched under his chin, then slam on his desk before he gets up to slam his door shut. He stands in front of me with his hands on his hips and stares down at me. I can see that he is fighting himself to hold onto his temper and I can't remember the last time that I have seen him look like that. And it had never been directed towards me. Had this been the old Stephanie that walked through the door six months previous asking for help initially she would have run from the room screaming. However, now I know how to handle myself, and it was all from his and his teams training. Maybe that is part of his problem; he knew that he helped me to become the confident woman that I am._

_Ranger takes a deep breath and Mr. King of the One Word Phrase rears his ugly head and simply says "No."_

_I had a feeling that this would happen and that is why I had already spoken with someone else that I knew could get me the skills that I requested and then some. I waited for a few minutes so that he could regain control of what always seemed like non-existent emotions. The blank face hid so much, but I new how to read him and the rest of the guys without much trouble anymore. They always said I wore my emotions on my face. Well after careful study I noticed the slight changes in them based on different situations and I knew that he was beyond pissed at this moment._

_"Ranger this is what I want. You have always supported me and been there for me. Can I ask why you won't help me? I can tell by your reaction there is a reason; I just don't understand what it is." I asked him as evenly as possible. See, one of the things that also changed in me as I trained was I can actually have an adult conversation instead of going right into Full Rhino Mode. However this was a conversation with King One Word and I didn't have much hope honestly, but I was giving it a try._

_He stood there and stared at me without even one word spoken for quite a while. I decided that I had waited long enough since I had an appointment that I needed to get ready for, so I stood and headed for the door. I was only stopped by what came out of his mouth "You have already changed, this will be the end of what used to be the Stephanie that everyone knows. That is why I can't help you. I can't be responsible for that change."_

_"You do realize that I will do this with or without your help, right? I told you when we first started this process that if I wanted something that I would get it and no one would stop me. Do you think I don't or didn't mean it?" I asked facing the door with my hand on the knob._

_"I had hoped that you weren't serious about that. I had hoped that things would settle down for you and that you would have changed your mind." He stated simply._

_"Did you honestly think that or is there another reason? You know me Ranger, when I decide to do something I see it through. I don't stop until I get what I want. I always get my skip, I always stick to my decisions and I always keep my promises. My loyalty has never waivered from anyone that has earned it. Why did you think this would be different?" I asked quietly as pieces of my heart started to break away and my eyes became filled with tears._

_I had hoped he would give me a straight answer, but I got a cryptic response from him, "I would hate myself for doing it more than I already do." With that he was silent. He just about told me he regretted training me and that about did me in emotionally right then and there._

_"Thank you for all the help that you have offered me I truly appreciate it. It has meant more to me than you will ever be able to understand. I accept your decision as you must accept mine. I will have my resignation to you by tomorrow giving my two weeks notice. I hope that is enough time for you to find a replacement if necessary and make sure that I am moved out of my apartment by then as well. Goodbye Ranger." I stated before closing his office door behind me. As I walk down the hall slower than normal trying to regain my composure I hear several loud crashes coming from behind the door I just closed and thought to myself 'I will never understand that man, but I can't be around him right now'._

_I was able to get to my apartment on four without running into anyone thankfully. I closed the door quickly and leaned back against it taking deep breaths to help control the tears that wanted to fall right now. I thought that Ranger would have a problem with what I wanted, but I at least expected some kind of reason other than he would hate himself more. What does that even mean? Did he really regret training me, and supporting me? Is that what happened to people who let me spread my wings and fly, they regretted it?_

_I had to stop that thought dead in its tracks; this was what I wanted and what I planned to do with my life. If he, or anyone else didn't like it, that was too bad. I open my phone and dial a very familiar number. It seems like I have seen this person more in the last six months than any of my friends outside of Rangeman and it was a welcome change._

_"Yes" the familiar voice on the other end responds._

_"It's me. Things went pretty much as expected. I will be giving my notice tomorrow for two weeks and will have everything packed and ready to go. Will that be okay?" I asked._

_"That will be fine. Are you still coming for dinner this evening? We are all expecting you." states the voice in a soft tone._

_"Yes, I will be there as planned. Nothing has changed my mind and nothing will." I state to make sure that he understands._

_"Okay then, but I want you to know that we will all be there for you even if you change your mind. This is a fairly high price to pay and I want to be sure that you are absolute in your decision. It would work out best for us if you did this, but we all will be there even if our hopes are not fulfilled." the affection in his voice clearly evident._

_"I understand, but you also know that there are things you do not have to ask me to do, that I would offer them to you anyway. You have been there for me when others have not and you have earned my loyalty and admiration. I will see you shortly."_

_"Yes see you in a bit." And the phone goes dead. Hey at least he has phone manners. That is a nice change._

_A short while later I arrive at dinner in my cocktail dress and 4" FMPs, my hair up in a French twist, with light makeup on my face. Walking through the door I am greeted by the butler with a warm smile as he takes my coat and leads me to the parlor where everyone is waiting on me. I am greeted by wonderful smiles and kisses on the cheeks by all in the room. As I am handed a glass of champagne by our host he states "Let us all thank our Stephanie for agreeing to our request and do our best to keep the peace. I believe that this step will be one of the most important milestones that could happen to us all. To Stephanie." And everyone raises their glasses, and states 'here, here'. I blush as usual for the attention of the room, but understand the love that comes with the praise._

_I turn to our host and ask "May I make a toast as well?" He nods and waives his arm telling me that the floor is mine. "I would like to thank all of you for everything that you have done. I have known many of you a long time and can not think of a better group to be in the company of. I look forward to this new opportunity and everything that we all have to gain from it. I am humbled and honored that you would ask me. To our success." I raise my glass and there is a round of "here, here" heard before the volume picks up again._

_Our host places his arm around my shoulder and gives me a squeeze and a kiss on the head before telling me "I am so proud of you. I know that this may come as a shock to you, but I think of you as my daughter. When I heard all that happened six months ago I wished then that I had offered to help you, but I can see that you needed to grow into your own before that took place. Now that you have accepted our assistance and will be working with all of us I have two personal requests of you that you may need to think more about before answering, but I will only speak of one this evening so that we do not lose the party atmosphere that we have at this time." He looks straight into my eyes and waits for my nod before he continues. "We have only been referring to you by your first name because of what happened, but I would like very much to offer you my last name as yours. Not in marriage, but as a legal name change. You would no longer be a "Plum" when it comes to any paperwork. This would be a great honor to me as I already see you as my daughter and would love to officially make you a part of this family."_

_Honestly I was shocked and I think that my mouth must have been doing its famous fish impersonation, because the next thing I knew his finger was under my chin closing it gently with a smile on his face. He leans in and says, "I don't want to pressure you into this, I just offer it as a solution to the uncomfortable memories that plague you when you hear it. It would make me one of the happiest men in the world if you would accept this. The only thing that could make me happier is if you officially married into my family, but that is another conversation altogether. Please think about it this evening and if you decide to accept I would like to make the announcement this evening."_

_I quickly gather my wits about me and nod my understanding which earns me another kiss to my head and a wide smile. I look into the room and see my dance partner approaching as our hosts arm drops from my shoulder and nods his head to our new guest._

_My dance partner nods back and with a gorgeous smile and asks "May I have this dance my lady?" To which my only response is a nod and huge smile of my own._

_We walk to a cleared area of the room and begin to sway to the music with no space between our bodies. We mold together like a leather glove to the hand it was fitted,_

_while looking into each others eyes. "You look ravishing this evening my lady." He states with a gleam in his eye._

_"Well thank you sir, and you look wonderful as usual." I smile at him brighter._

_"So what did he have to say to you, if you don't mind my asking?" he asks._

_"No, I don't mind. I would like your opinion on the subject anyway. He asked me if I would like to change my last name to his, which was quite a surprise. His reasoning was heartfelt, but I can't help but think that he is also trying to protect me. Would I be on the right track with that thinking?" I asked._

_"In a manner of speaking yes you would be, but that is not the main reason or even on the list of top ten reasons why he asked. You are a wonderful person Stephanie and do not deserve what has happened to you in the past. You have made tremendous strides to overcome those difficulties. We are all proud of whom you have become and no one in this room would wish you any harm or begrudge you your feelings." He simply states._

_"Do you think that I've changed? Do you think that this next step will completely change who I am? I don't ask because I am scared of that, I ask because of those who may see me as completely different from what they know me as now." I look up at him to see him studying my face._

_"There may be some changes to you, but nothing can change your personality, your loyalty to those who have earned your trust, your resolve to get what you want, or your ability to capture the attention of anyone that you want to speak with. The fact that they fall in love with you within moments of meeting you will only help you in your quest. The traits that you hold dear will not change if you don't let them. You are a strong woman Stephanie and that is why you are here today. If not, you would have died from heartache and loss long ago. Please never doubt that." He paused to gently hold my face in my hands and look directly into my eyes before placing the gentlest kiss on my lips and smiling before we continue our dance._

_"Thank you. That was exactly what I needed to hear. I will tell him that I accept his offer as soon as we finish this dance. So long as no one else objects we can make it official on all paperwork in two weeks when my term at Rangeman is over. Do you think that will make him happy?"_

_"I think that he will be ecstatic. Come on, how about we tell him together now?" He quickly grabs my hand and pulls me behind him._

_We reach our host quickly and he turns to meet my eyes. He waits for me to speak before making a move. "I would like to accept your offer to change my last name to match yours. Thank you; it is such an honor to place your name at the end of mine. I only hope I can do you the honor of serving it well." I say with a tremendous smile._

_"The honor is all mine my daughter. You can only enhance the name and I hope that it does well for you." Our host granted me a full hug and kiss on both cheeks before making his announcement._

_(End Flashback)_

I am brought back to the present when the gates to the Mansion swing open as the Ferrari pulls up the street and right through the gate. As it closes behind the Ferrari I shake my head with a smile on my face thinking, how typical, an Italian Crime Boss with one of the most expensive sports cars known to man, and an Italian one at that. I allow Anthony Giambucchi about 15 minutes to get settled before I pull up to the box and push the button to ring and wait for a response.


	6. Chp 6Welcome the New and Improved Steph

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Welcome the New and Improved Stephanie**

After pushing the button for the speaker I am surprised that no voice comes across, but the gates open without question, so I give a finger wave and nice smile to the security camera. As I pull up to the door the butler stands on the front patio to await my exit from the car. Stepping out of the car I make sure to close my coat and carry my purse with me and close the door. I walk quickly trying to avoid as much of the snow fall as possible and the butler welcomes me into the house quickly. Entering the foyer he offers to remove my coat and I nod to him in thanks.

"Mr. Giambucchi is expecting you Miss. Please follow me and I will take you to him immediately. May I offer you a drink to help warm up from the cold?" the butler asks.

"Thank you very much Fredrick I appreciate it, but that is not necessary at this time. How have you been?" I ask him as we walk side by side toward the Parlor.

"Very well Miss, thank you for asking. Mrs. Giambucchi will be sorry she missed you. Will you be staying this evening Miss?" he asks me.

"Probably not this evening. I'm returning to Trenton in the morning and still need to pack up my hotel room, but I will definitely make sure to speak with Marissa soon. Thank you Fredrick." I state as we reach the parlor door. The butler knocks twice, pauses, and then opens the door before getting a response. He waves me into the room and I am immediately greeted by the warm smile of my old friend Anthony Giambucchi.

Anthony stands at 6'2 with shaggy dark brown hair, deep brown chocolate eyes, an olive complexion, and is in his mid-thirties. Weighing in at roughly 230 pounds, it is obvious that he takes care of his health and exercises regularly. His shirt and slacks are made of a very expensive silk and cling to his muscles very nicely almost to look as if they were made just for him, which I happen to know that they are. If Anthony had not been married to a very good friend of mine and I had not met them both in college I would be more than happy to get up close and personal with him.

"Well hello there Bella how are you? It has been a while since I've seen you. You look wonderful." Anthony softly says as he scoops me up in a tight hug and gives me a kiss on each cheek.

"Hello Tony. I've missed you. Things are going well thank you. Sorry to hear that I missed Marissa on this visit though. Will she be home soon?" I asked as we separated and take a seat on the couch.

He plops down next to me after pouring us both a glass of brandy then hands me my glass and I nod my head at him in thanks. "She went to New Jersey to visit family and won't be back until next week. She will be upset that she missed you. Maybe we can make plans in the near future for another visit without business and go to dinner and out on the town. I know things have been a bit hectic for you. By the way, you know that you are more than welcome in this house and don't need to wait out in the cold for me to arrive. Fredrick would have let you in and you could have stayed warm. I'd hate for you to catch a cold."

"I know that and thank you for the offer of your heater, but I didn't want to subject poor Fredrick to the inner musings of my head. They are bad enough for me, why subject the poor man to that." I smile at him as he lets out a chuckle. "Actually some down time would be good, but I still have things to take care of over the next month, so maybe after that. However, I am heading back to Trenton tomorrow, so maybe I can catch up with her there and have lunch, that way we can just have some girl talk without anyone else listening in." The look on his face can only be called mock-shock. "There is some paperwork that needs to be delivered and a few issues to deal with there. They can't wait forever, however they have been the least important of everything that has happened recently."

"Glad to hear that you are planning to get things settled, I know that you can handle them. I only wish that I could be there to witness some of it. Boy will they be shocked at the turn of events. How much of your life do they know? I would imagine that it would not be much since you are going by a different name these days, besides your call name, but people usually have a tendency to put the pieces together when it comes to you. Even if those pieces they gather are false." He looks at me with a grim expression before he continues. "Is there anything I can do to help? You know Marissa and I will always be here for you, even just as a shoulder to lean on if needed."

"Thanks Tony, but everything will work out just fine." I say with all the confidence in the world. I may not believe that the people of Trenton will agree with me, but things will turn out as they are meant to and how I expect them. "There are something's that I am looking forward to and others not so much, but you are looking at a completely different person than the one who grew up there. I am no longer the one that they can put down and call incompetent. But believe me if they do, the Incident that took place before will be small potatoes compared to what they will experience." I say with an evil smile. "I may not have been around, but believe me I have even more dirt on the community as a whole than before I left." I snicker to myself, "You know they used to make things up about me, but the reality is that they were just trying to cover up their own messes. Using me as a diversion will be one mistake they will learn not to repeat if they know what is good for them. You know some of those people are just sick and twisted. No wonder why there were so many crazies after me before. They are all crazy in the 'burg'." We laugh together for a bit more remembering old times and what kind of exploits he should be looking to hear about when I return to Trenton before getting down to the real reason for my visit.

After about an hour of light hearted banter he broaches the subject. "So, I know what you have come to discuss with me and should offer my apologies before we get started. I had no idea what his plan was before this happened." Anthony states with a grim look as his eye turn from the warm chocolate brown to the harder even darker brown of a lion. "Apparently there was not much planning on his part before he decided to act and it was certainly not cleared with me, because you know that I would have never allowed it." He finishes.

I pat his hand and sigh before I begin, "I know that Tony, but he has put us all in a bad spot with his actions. I don't like "Boots" actions anymore than you do and the original reason behind it alone is enough for the families to want to take action, however it is his ulterior motive that has all the families worried. They will not allow his behavior to become something that can spread or be thought to be allowed even once. They plan to make an example of him. I hope you understand that." I shake my head at the stupidity of the situation, but feeling smug that the families would take this kind of action for me.

"I understand really I do. It just saddens me that he couldn't come and speak with me about this. He knew things were changing, but I think his macho ego couldn't accept that. Having to go through you rather than calling the families directly, I can only guess that he took that as an insult. He lives in the world of the old and is unwilling to change to meet the expectations and demands of today. There will be no retaliation by anyone from this family and I will spread the word, as well that they heed this warning as what will happen if anyone even thinks about doing anything like this again."

"Well I have to say, it's never a good idea to go up against any of the families, but for a hit man who works for them was a bit of a surprise to me. I would have expected it to be someone a bit lower in the organization that did it out of sheer stupidity. In any case I just wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page before the events actually took place. Once I call back in it is more than likely that he will be eliminated within minutes unless you have any objections, or would like to be present." I pause to look at him and see the glimmer of an evil smile spread across his face and snicker at him. I pat his hand softly to bring his attention back to me before I continue. "Tony, I don't think that it's necessary for you to be there, unless you are in need of some action. You publicly denouncing what "Boots" did will be enough to calm the waters. I only came here in person just to make sure that you understood there was nothing expected of you, and nothing was being held against you. We all know these were the solitary actions of "Boots" and not the Giambucchi Family." I state just to make my position absolutely clear. "If you would like to attend let me know and I will be happy to take you back with me in the morning, and maybe we can meet up with Marissa for lunch or dinner."

He thinks about it for a few minutes before responding. "I know that it's not necessary, but I think that my presence would assist in stomping out any thoughts of others thinking the way "Boots" has. I would also like to say a few words to him before he meets his end. What time do we fly out in the morning?" he asks with a curt nod.

"I was planning on leaving around seven, but if you need me to push it either direction that would be fine, just let me know. The pilot will be ready by quarter after six. Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want to take you away from your business unnecessarily." I ask but can see the anger he holds towards "Boots" in the set of his jaw.

"Normally I wouldn't have a problem with not being there, but there are a few reasons for my attendance. One, what he did to that young woman was inexcusable no matter who you are, but he was also out of his territory. I have enforced with the people in my employ that they were to treat every woman they interact with as they would their mother and sister. That is just how I work. You do not physically harm a woman no matter what. And second, this was a direct threat and action to show others within the families that he is superior to you. His ego was bruised and he retaliated in a way that could hurt all of the families as a whole. That can not be stood for. He is not in charge and is to take orders, not to make up his own agenda and then act upon it. The consequences of his actions will be made an example of and I want to make that perfectly clear to him before it is carried out." Tony informs me as he stands from the couch to look out the window, the anger in his voice rising the more he spoke of his reasons.

"Alright then, would you like me to pick you up in the morning on my way or would you like to meet me there?" I ask as I stand up to grab my purse.

"You are not staying here tonight?' he asks with surprise and a shake of his head.

"No actually I checked into a hotel earlier today and went to their spa. I had the full treatment and I am really looking forward to taking a nice long bubble bath in the huge tub that is in the bathroom. Since I hadn't called before I showed up I didn't want to impose if you had other guests." I smile at him with a dreamy look on my face in reference to the spa treatment.

"Ah, so that's what the glow is from." He snickers at me as I smack his arm for the reference to my glow. "You know you are always welcome here, announced or unannounced. And I don't want to see you waiting outside my house waiting for me again, understand?" He states firmly looking me directly in the eye.

"Yes, sir." I give him a mock salute and laugh. "Thank you Tony. Having you on the flight back to Trenton will keep my mind on different topics from where they were earlier tonight. Truly I meant no disrespect to you."

"I understand, but no matter your mood, you are always welcome here. You do look fabulous by the way. The work has truly paid off for you and I can see the confidence you used to lack. This outfit screams confidence, among other things." He mentions with a gleam in his eye.

"Good then I hit the mark with my choice of clothing this evening. I remember that I used to think it would be a cold day in hell before I could wear something like this out in public and not be doing a distraction job, but I have to say that it makes me feel damn good." I smile with a huge smile on my face. "And no, this was for me not you. If you think otherwise I will tell Marissa and boy will you be in trouble. I have seen her mad and I would not want to be on the receiving end." I laugh at the look I received from him.

His skin pales at the mention of a pissed off Marissa. "You wouldn't. That is not fair and you know it."

"Be a good boy Tony and I won't say a word." I laugh as he lets out the breath that he was holding and his shoulders slump slightly in relief. "I'll see you in the morning at the airport then, same hanger as always. I'll pick up breakfast on the way to the airport. How many should I pick up for?"

"Okay I will meet you there then. Get enough for five plus us. There are a few introductions that need to be made so I may as well get them out of the way as well."

I give Tony a kiss on each cheek and a tight hug before heading out the door. I turn to look back and state "Sleep good tonight Tony, things should be pretty exciting tomorrow. I have no doubt of that." With a smile to each other I step out the door and walk to the foyer to find my coat, give Fredrick a kiss on the cheek and tell him to have a nice evening and head out the front door to my car. Mission accomplished.

Heading back to the hotel I pull out my phone and call in my work.

"Yes." The voice answers.

"I am heading back to the hotel and will be leaving in the morning. The plane is scheduled to take off at seven am and Tony will be joining me. He wants to be present and send a message of his own. He also has some introductions to make, so he has a contingent of five coming along as well." I stated.

"Very well, we will be expecting you around eleven then. The envelope that needs to be delivered is sitting on your nightstand and should be delivered tomorrow as soon as possible to avoid any issues." The voice instructs.

"After getting settled in my room and some lunch I will head right out and deliver it. I will also make another stop before returning home, but I am unsure how long that will take me. I may not be back in time for dinner. I hope that is not an issue?" I ask.

"You know better than that. You may come and go as you please. This is your home as well, even though you have not been here in quite sometime. Any issues that I need to discuss with you can wait a few days. Sleep well and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow as do many others."

"I miss you as well, but that will be resolved shortly. Did you give him my message?" Already knowing the answer but asking anyway.

"Yes, and he said that he expects you to wear your dancing shoes." This brings a big smile to my face. "Good night"

"Good night." And the phone goes dead.

Now I need to get a good night sleep before tomorrow. Glad I had that spa treatment earlier today. I can only imagine how tense my shoulders would be if I hadn't. I walk into my hotel room and head straight to the bathroom after checking out the room for anything unexpected. I soak in the tub for a bit, then do my nightly routine, pull out my clothes for my return flight to New Jersey and pack my remaining items in my carry on. The whole process not taking more than 20 minutes since I didn't pack much for this visit. I slide into the bed between the jersey knit sheets and fall quickly into a deep dreamless sleep. My body needs all the rest it can get since I have a feeling the next couple of weeks will be very busy. However my "spidey sense" tells me that it may not all be for a good reason and it might not all be about work. Only time will tell.


	7. Chapter 7 The Return Home Part I

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**The Return Home Part 1**

The alarm is blaring in my ear and as I slap at it with my hand I groan out loud realizing that I have to get up. I have never truly been a morning person, but for some reason with all of the training I have gone through it has gotten easier to get up at the butt crack of dawn to get going, but not this morning. The day to return to Trenton had come and I just can't gather the excitement that some would think I should have about going home. Well if you were me and had enjoyed the last two years traveling the US and Europe, Central and South America and at times Russia you would not be excited to return to the gossip mill of the "burg" in Trenton. Not that I was worried about what they would say, because I was more than able to quell any talk about me, it was more the looks that would get to me.

Physically I have changed dramatically. I still have the same long curly brown hair and bright blue eyes, but I am also in shape and dress to show it. I no longer hide what I look like and will be damned if they are going to tell me that I need to change how I look. My personality has not changed one bit. I am still outgoing, I still attacked crazies at times, but the biggest difference is I no longer need help to take them down. I no longer have issues with using my gun or my hands to take the life of another if it is a choice between them or me or even someone that I work for. I have some serious skills that not many know about, but always seem to come in handy.

With a big sigh I get out of bed and get ready to start this day that will probably be a very long one.

Pulling up to the hanger I place my luggage by the door to the plane and then retrieve breakfast for all that will be riding to New Jersey. The pilot takes my luggage on board and I follow so I can place breakfast out for everyone. As I exit the plane I see Tony's car pull up and his men exit looking around to make sure it's secure. I wait at the top of the platform at the planes door and make eye contact with him before I descend to greet him with a hug.

"Good Morning Tony, how are you today?" I say with a bright smile.

"Very well on this beautiful day, thank you. How about you? You look more relaxed than you were last night." He states with a smile on his face.

"Get your head out of the gutter. You know me better than to sleep with someone that I just met. I took that soak in the tub I mentioned last night. It was heavenly." I roll my eyes at him and he laughs at me.

"You know I have not seen you do that perfect Jersey girl eye roll in a very long time. You haven't even been there and it's already coming back to you. Boy, I can't wait to see what happens when we get there. Can I have a ring side seat when you visit the TPD?" He asks me.

"You want to go to the TPD voluntarily?" I ask in a flat tone. "You hate going to any PD, why would you volunteer to go anywhere near TPD?"

"Ah, because I love a good show and can't wait to see what happens! Plus you might need a witness or two." He snickers at me. "When you hand over that envelope to them the shit is going to hit the fan. There are a few people that I can think of that will be pissed as hell when they hear about it." He laughs even harder.

"Alright already, let's get going. I can tell this is going to be an interesting day. If you want to join me be my guest, but that is not the only visit I will be making today, so you may want to have someone drive you after you get to see your show." I state over my shoulder as I walk toward the plane. "Breakfast is already on board so whenever you are ready we can get going."

"Perfect. Let's get out of here. I'm impatient to get this show on the road." He says while clapping his hands together and then rubbing them with an evil gleam in his eye.

If I didn't know any better I would say this man likes to see others in uncomfortable situations. And I am not referring to myself in said uncomfortable position.

A short while later the plane landed in a private airport outside of Trenton. Our car was waiting for us already and we quickly exited the plane. The luggage was put in the trunk and we were on our way home. Well, my home anyway.

The short drive had me very excited to see everyone. And as soon as we pulled through the gates I was ready to jump out of the car and run through the double doors. We came to a stop and not two seconds later was the passenger side door opened, I was pulled from the car and arms were embracing me in one of the strongest hugs I had had in a long time. Soon it was relaxed a little to place a firm kiss to my lips and a groan escaped his mouth. Once I was released from the hug and kiss I was turned around and placed in another set of arms only these were not as strong, but still receiving a strong hug just the same and a kiss to the hair.

"Welcome home Stephanie Ramos, it is good to have you back again after such a long time. This place has been empty without you. Hasn't it Adrian?" asks Alexander Ramos.

"Yes, it has grandfather. It certainly has." Taking me back into his arms, Adrian smiles at me one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on his face and asks "How are you my lady? You look absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to get you back out on that dance floor. It has been too long."

"Adrian, it has only been two months since I last saw you, but yes I am excited to get out there with you as well. Nobody else that I have danced with recently seemed to know the moves and my body as well as you do." I smile up at him and place a kiss to his lips before turning around to look at Tony. "Come on in guys, Tony, will you be ready to leave at about 1230pm?" I ask with a smile.

"Sure thing Bella, I will be more than ready by then. Honestly, I will probably be giddier than a school boy by that time." he laughs as we all walk in the house.

Our luggage was taken to our rooms and we entered the parlor to discuss business. The only thing at this point that I was interested in was if I had to be present for the elimination which I was told I needed to be there. It was scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning so that way I could get a few things settled before it took place. Alexander and Tony continue their discussion and I excuse myself to get ready for my fieldtrip and make a few phone calls. I gave kisses and hugs to both Alexander and Tony before leaving the room, and Adrian follows me to my bedroom.

As soon as the door closes behind us Adrian takes me in his arms and gives me a kiss to show just how much he missed me. Heat floods through my body and until we break for air nothing else matters.

"I really have missed you. I'm sorry that I can't get away to be with you more often." He states with emotion in his voice.

"Adrian we both have jobs to do and I wouldn't ask you to leave your practice when you are obviously helping people heal here. You know that I have to travel, but whenever we can be together then we will be. Besides I will be here for a while anyway so let's enjoy the time that we have right now. Okay? Are we going dancing tomorrow night?" I ask as he lets me go and I walk to the closet to pick out my clothes for the day selecting a pair of form fitting leather pants, a short sleeve plain white crop t-shirt that shows of my six pack stomach and a leather vest that will be left open, plus a pair of 4" fire engine red FMPs.

Adrian raises his eyebrow at my clothing selection before speaking and half laughing, "Trying to cause a riot already? You just got home and there will be an up-roar over that to begin with. And yes, I have plans to take you out dancing tomorrow evening. Maybe Tony and Marissa can join us since she's in town. Not that I don't want you all to myself, but I know that you have not seen Marissa in a while."

I smile up at him and kiss his lips gently. "Thank you for understanding. You always have known me better than anyone else. Tony wants to go deliver the envelope with me because he wants to see the show. How about you? Are you up for it? You could always ride back with Tony afterwards. I have a few other stops to make before I return tonight. I will almost definitely miss dinner since I haven't seen some of them in over a year and a half."

"Honestly, I would love to see the show, but I don't think that I could keep my temper no matter how hard I tried if they give you the reaction that you are expecting. I think I will take a pass at this one. Maybe next time though." His smile doesn't reach his eyes this time.

I pat his arm then give it a reassuring squeeze. "Adrian you know that nothing they say can hurt me, right? Anything that they shovel out can't be anything worse than what I have heard from some in other parts of the world. Believe me, Columbia was one of the worst, but I don't think that they will be making that mistake again. Things have been relatively calm since that visit, and I keep in contact with Rico almost weekly. Trenton and the "burg" will learn the same thing soon if they're not careful, if you know what I mean. And since I have my government contacts, they can make the lives of certain people very uncomfortable without any bloodshed."

Adrian winced at the mention of Columbia and the first time that I spent there, but it was well worth it for all involved. "Alright I should let you get ready. I will see you downstairs for lunch. Call me if you need anything. Or even if you don't okay?" He said with a smile. I nod to him with a smile as he closes the door behind him and I head toward the bathroom to do my usual routine.

A while later I am sitting in my car, a Sapphire Blue Corvette Convertible that has been stored for the last month since it was delivered to Deal awaiting my return so it could be taken out for a test drive. I had asked Adrian to take it out to break in the engine so I wouldn't have to worry about over working it. With Tony in the passenger seat smirking at my choice of car to drive we cruise down the highway with the top down and head straight to the TPD.

Before we arrive he looks at me through his mirrored sunglasses and asks, "Are you ready to get this party started? Cause I certainly am." He laughs heartily as I shake my head at him with a smirk on my face.

"You know if I didn't know any better I would say that the only reason you wanted to come with me was so that you could throw gasoline on the fire. But I am more than ready, and I will try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum."

"Now what fun would that be? You know that is my favorite part of situations like these." He comments.

"Please keep in mind I have on a white t-shirt that happens to be very comfortable. I really don't want to replace it if I can avoid it. Besides I can't do anything to them until after the envelope is delivered remember?" I say flatly.

"Oh, that's right. But after you speak with the Chief you can let them have it. And please do your worst." He laughs again.

"I will try not to leave you too terribly disappointed. Will that suffice Tony? I mean you will be getting some action tomorrow after all."

"Very well, but this is today and tomorrow is still tomorrow. Life has been fairly boring lately you know." He says with some disappointment in his voice.

I shake my head with a wide smile as we pull into the parking lot of the TPD. Once parked, we look at each other, nod and climb out of the car as do Tony's bodyguards. We walk through the front doors of the TPD and are greeted with absolute silence and a room full of cops staring straight at us as we approach the front desk.

I loudly announce "Chief Preston is expecting me." The desk officer just looks at me when I take my glasses off and tuck them in my white shirt with his mouth wide open. No response is received. I wait a minute before turning to Tony and smiling at him. He is shaking with laughter, but you would only know it if knew him well enough. There is just a slight movement in his shoulders and his body guards have smirks on their faces. I return my attention to the desk officer and waive my hand in front of his face to get his attention. "I said the Chief is expecting me, can you call and let him know his one o'clock appointment is here for him." That seems to get some reaction and the officer picks up the phone, but before he can ask another question I tell him, "My name is Stephanie Ramos by the way." At this comment I see his atoms apple bobbing and his eyes go wide and there is a large intake of breath in the station.

The bodyguards with us let out a slight laugh at the reaction and Tony and I just smile at each other. Not one of the cops has moved from their spot or averted their eyes. Honestly I am surprised that none of them have whipped out their cell phone to take pictures, but then again maybe they have heard of me. Hmmm, we will just have to wait and see what happens next I guess. The Chief is immediately at the front desk with a look on his face when he takes in my presence and then Tony and his bodyguards of pure confusion.

I stick my hand out to the Chief to shake and introduce us, "Chief it's nice to see you again. I am Stephanie Ramos and this is Anthony Giambucchi, I believe we had an appointment as soon as I returned to town to deliver some paperwork to you."

He takes my hand hesitantly confusion written all over his face, "I was expecting to meet with a government contact, but I am confused as to what that has to do with you Mrs. Ramos." He says with a great deal of hesitance in his voice, afraid to offend anyone from the Ramos or Giambucchi Family.

"Chief, first of all I am Miss Ramos, not Mrs. Ramos; I would like to clear that up right now. And secondly, I believe that the other matter is best discussed behind closed doors if you don't mind." putting emphasis on the words behind closed doors. I mean come on you are the Police Chief, do you not know the meaning of classified. He nods his head slightly and asks me to follow behind.

I turn to Tony and ask, "Would you like to join us, or would you like to remain in the hall. It should only take a few minutes, right Chief?" The Chief pales and then nods his head.

Tony smiles and decides to wait outside the door. "I'll just wait outside the door if you don't mind. My involvement is not necessary." Smirking as he leans up against the wall looking completely at ease. I nod in agreement and enter the Chiefs office and close the door behind me.

Before I have a chance to turn around the Chief opens his mouth, "What is the meaning of this Stephanie? You are not a Ramos and you are certainly not a government contact. What are you trying to pull?" he states with venom in his voice since it was just me in the room.

"Obviously you have not been very well informed, but that ends here. First, you will not talk to me in such a manner every again. Second, read the information in this envelope and it will explain what you need to know to be able to fulfill your job. Anything that is not included in that envelope is not necessary information for you to have. If you still have questions about my involvement after reading the information you can contact the US Secretary of Defense. You were informed of a new government agent that was moving into the area with the code name "BLAZE". What you were not informed of was that this contact was born and raised here and had moved away. If you have a problem with working with me that is too bad. You need me whether you like it or not." I was able to keep the venom out of my voice, but barely. "The number of the Secretary is on the top page if you don't want to read it first since you obviously have issues with me. I would be glad to wait for the conversation to be completed before we finish our business. However, I will remain here in your office while the call is completed."

He quickly picks up the phone and dials the number and shortly after speaking his name and where he is calling from listens to the other end of the phone and begins to grow paler and paler the longer the phone is held to his ear. You see I had warned the Secretary of Defense that my assistance in Trenton would not be welcomed or believed and that the situation would need to be cleared up by him personally for this to work. After the explanation of why this was needed I was given his secretaries direct telephone line and told no matter what he was doing would stop what he was doing to clear it all up. I could only imagine what was being said on the other end of the phone. When he hung up ten minutes later he hangs his head and then shakes it before looking me in the eye again and responds, "It appears that I owe you an apology. I was informed that you are untouchable. We are not to intervene in any business that you participate in and that our department is to basically look the other direction when it comes to your work, legal or otherwise."

"I am also assuming that you have been told to keep my code name to yourself. No one in the station is to know it, are we understood?" I ask him with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I understand. What I don't understand is why you are working with the government and why you changed your name to the same as an Arms Dealer." He states, and I guess that he was expecting me to enlighten him, but no luck there.

"That is not something that you need to know or understand. Have a good day Chief; be sure that you spread the word quickly to your Officers and Detectives about keeping their hands off of **anything** that has to do with me. I would hate to see anyone getting in the way." At this comment I breeze through the door of the Chiefs office and return to Tony who has a very large twinkle in his eyes. Oh boy that can't be good for the members of the TPD. And I am proved correct immediately. After taking only two steps toward the exit of the station, with Tony next to me and his bodyguards right in front of us, I was being grabbed by the arm and spun around to face a very angry officer.


	8. Chapter 8 The Return Home Part II

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**The Return Part II**

Have you ever though of people as stupid? I mean we do tend to learn from our mistakes for the most part, but there are certain idiots that never learn from their past. One of those people just happened to grab my arm as I headed out of the TPD with my back turned to him. I had a feeling this was coming by the gleam in Tony's eye when I exited the office, but I was hoping that I would get a bit closer to the exit before all hell broke loose.

Well, nothing in this town or in this police station in particular could go as I had ever hoped. However this gave me the opportunity to give Tony the show he came for and to get a little payback at the same time. Hey, I had just dropped off my contracts and Department now knew that I was untouchable, or at least they all would shortly.

I was grabbed on the left arm swung around with a hand cutting off the circulation in my bicep and I immediately threw a blow breaking my attackers nose and he released my arm immediately to cup his nose with his right hand and attempts to slap me across the face with his left, however I was able to grab the arm mid swing to stop its motion and sucker punch him to the stomach, then swing him around with his arm still in my grasp pulling it up behind his back high enough and tight enough to break his arm and dislocate his shoulder and then kicking him in behind the knee to drop him to the ground in less than a minute.

"Don't ever touch me again Morelli. You have been told that before and obviously have not learned your lesson. I shouldn't have to remind you again. Are we understood officer?" I say with ice in my voice and wait for his grunt and take that as his acceptance before I stand up and release him to attempt to stand from the floor. Unfortunately for him, it requires assistance, hmmm, go figure. The police station is once again silent waiting to hear what will be said next. "By the way, I love the uniform, very appropriate for a desk jockey that no longer gets to walk the street. Last I heard you were demoted after the investigation, but were offered the opportunity to work you way back up to Detective and that was over two years ago. Obviously that didn't happen; did they find more dirt on you? Or did you go out on a drinking binge and create so much trouble for the department that it was easier to just sit you at a desk permanently?" Knowing that my words were the truth, I smirk as I look over the damage that is his person and think to myself 'man he got off lucky. The wimp gave out before I really get in some fun'.

"Stephanie Plum you just assaulted an officer you are under arrest." states Morelli with what should have been a nice smile, but a broken nose and blood running down to his chin it definitely missed the mark.

"Honestly?" I laugh at him full out and turn to Tony, "Do you think he is being serious? He can't possibly be, right?" I shake my head and turn back to Morelli. "You just grabbed my arm in front of a room full of Officers, not to mention it was caught on video tap you Ass. I was defending myself from an unknown assailant to prevent myself from coming to any harm. You want to explain to me how you would get that into a court room?" I stare at him as he scowls at me in disgust.

"You knew who it was that grabbed your arm, who else would touch you?" spews Morelli.

"Thank you for proving my point Jack Ass. No one would dare touch me in the manner that you just did. And you did it in a room filled with cops. You know it really amazes me how much of a moron you are and that you are able to maintain you position with the TPD. But then again that explains the uniform rather than being a plain clothes officer, or even a Detective. The alcohol on your breath probably has something to do with it as well. Stay the hell away from me Morelli, and prevent the damage to your body that could possibly come to you if you don't." For crying out loud this idiot just gets stupider with age. I swear he used to be a lot smarter than this. Maybe it is all the drinking he seems to be doing. I could swear I smell alcohol on his breath even from 8 feet away.

"You just threatened an Officer of the Law Cupcake. I can arrest you for that you know." He spoke, still with the ugly broken nose smile in place on his ugly mug.

"Morelli, you may want to get your facts straight before you run the paperwork for my arrest. Hmmm, let's see. One, I didn't threaten you, I warned you to stay away from me, which I have done before and your stupid brain can't seem to accept that. Two my name if you so choose to still complete that report is not Cupcake, and it had better never pass you lips again in my presence. My name is Stephanie Ramos so you will want to etch that name in your brain. Three, talk to your Chief, well actually he's standing directly behind you. Chief Preston will Officer Morelli be able to arrest me for assault or for threatening an officer today or at any other time?" I look directly at the Chief for his response. Now is as good a time as any to make the announcement to the entire PD.

"No Miss Ramos, Officer Morelli has no grounds for either of the charges that you have mentioned." states the Chief looking directly at me with a nod. He turns to his entire staff and announces, "I have just received paperwork that informed me, as well as the TPD that Miss Ramos here is untouchable. She can not be arrested for any reason and anything that she is working on we are to stay away from unless specifically asked by her for our help. All of the TPD will be in contact with Miss Ramos as the Liaison to All of the Families we may need to interact with. Her business number will be supplied to those that will need to contact her and it will be for business only. You are not to give out this number to anyone. That means friends or family members that ask you for it will not be receiving it. If I find out from Miss Ramos that persons outside the TPD are calling to contact her on her business phone for any reason they will be suspended and dealt with accordingly. If I find out from Miss Ramos that anyone within the TPD is calling on her business phone for anything outside of business reasons they will also be suspended and dealt with accordingly."

Morelli is the first to speak, "That's insane, and there is no way that she in untouchable. She is an inept has been bounty hunter that doesn't know how to handle a gun, or catch a skip without rolling in garbage and dresses like a whore. She is a slut that is only good for one thing, being in bed. How can she be untouchable? She can't even come into the PD without bodyguards."

I hear Tony's bodyguards growl from behind me and I nod to them in appreciation. I had to put a hand on Tony's arm to prevent him from moving before I return to look at Morelli. "Inept you say? Who just broke your arm and nose, punched you in the stomach, dislocated your shoulder and had you on the floor without you landing even a single punch? The only marks that will be on my body will be your handprint on my arm and that is what started this issue. You are lucky that I have not asked to press charges to have you booked for assault Officer. You had no right to touch me. And as for bodyguards, yes there are a few here but they are not here for me, they are for my companion here." tipping my head towards Tony. I was not even going to dignify his other comments with a response, they weren't worth it.

"Yeah and who would that be with you, your latest bedmate?" Morelli sneers and Tony starts to move toward him again which I have to step in front if him to prevent his forward motion this time. There are gasps from the room, but I wasn't sure if they were for me stepping in front of Tony who is known to think it dishonorable to be challenged and I just cut him off, or for Morelli's choice of words and who they were directed at.

"Have you even bothered to look to see who is here with me? And I mean really look at him? Yes he is an attractive male that oozes testosterone and macho but if you gave yourself a second to look past his appearance in chinos and a button up shirt you would notice that this gorgeous man is none other than Anthony Giambucchi, and you just insulted him and his marriage by insinuating that we were sleeping together in a public place. That was not very smart of you Officer Morelli." I say with a twinkle in my eye. He just kept digging himself a deeper hole.

At my last statement Morelli's head snaps back to look at Tony with wide eyes and a look of fear in his eyes. As well he should be afraid, idiot. Unfortunately I was unable to keep the snicker from escaping my mouth, and the attention of both Morelli, now scowling again, and Tony with an amused smile turned to me. And Tony says, "Thank you for the compliments Bella. You are one of the most gorgeous women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."

Looking up at Tony I smiled still giggling and said, "Sorry, but I think it's funny that a cop is 'unaware of his surroundings'." I state with a shrug. That earns me a big smile and a hearty laugh. "Hey what can I say, I have heard the saying 'you need to be more aware of your surroundings' from everyone here at the station as well as Rangeman for years, and now I know it was not just me that had that issue. I think we should probably head out now, how about you? I don't think there is anymore to be done right now."

Tony looks somewhat sad at that statement, "Alright, I know we have other business to take care of Bella." He turns to the Chief and Morelli and states "I would suggest putting a leash on your officer to prevent any further issues Chief Preston. I am only sorry to see that Miss Ramos is not planning on pressing charges of assault on your officer here and your Department. Learn you place Officer Morelli, it would be in your best interests to do it sooner rather than later. I am sure we will be seeing you all again soon. Have a good afternoon." And with that we turn and walk out of the building as if nothing had happened.

Once out in the parking lot we both begin to laugh holding our sides while the body guards stand watch. I can tell they want to laugh as well, but stay rigid in their stance to defend us if necessary. "Hey, look Steph, you didn't get any blood on your t-shirt." He says with a snicker.

I shake my head, "He didn't even last a minute. I can't believe that he would be so bold to try something like that in the station. He really has lost it you know. But I do need to apologize for the reference he made about you and I sleeping together. You know Marissa is going to hear about it before long. You better call her and warn her."

"I'll call her on the way back in the car. What happened in there is nothing you need to apologize for. The words didn't come out of your mouth. And besides if I wasn't married to the love of my life, I would be in your bed in the blink of an eye." He pauses to let me absorb that information and I blush. "So we will see you later this evening? I spoke with Adrian and he asked Marissa and I to join you for dinner and dancing tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to it."

"Tell her I said hello and can't wait to see her tomorrow evening. I will be back at the house tonight, but I don't what time I will be getting back, probably pretty late. If you're awake I will stop by to talk. Have a safe ride back and try no to get into too much trouble while I'm gone." I respond.

"You know me too well, Bella. Thanks for the fun afternoon it was an enlightening experience. By the way, I won't tell Adrian what comments were made here. I know he stayed away because he was afraid of his reaction, and now I completely understand. It was a good thing you stepped in front of me when you did or he would not be breathing right now." Tony stated with anger lacing his last few words.

"Tony I can take care of myself. And I need you to remember that I'm the one who is untouchable, not you or any of the other Families. You or any of your employees don't need to go to jail to protect me from others. You know I have lots of leverage and I'm not afraid to use it if necessary. Now go ahead and call that beautiful wife of yours and go enjoy yourself. Thank you for coming with me. It was fun." I say half laughing, thinking about Morelli and all of his injuries. I gave him a kiss on the cheek, a nod to his bodyguards and then step toward my car. He smiles and gets in the back seat of their car.

Alright, on with the rest of my afternoon fun. I get in my car and head out of the parking lot headed toward my old apartment building to see my Grandma Mazur. I spend sometime with her but tell her this was just a quick visit and that I had to be somewhere shortly, but wanted to stop by and see her first. She gave me hugs and kisses and gave me some information of the goings on from the 'Clip and Curl' and thanking me for having the eye candy run her to the beauty parlor and to her viewings. She didn't know that the guys had decided to do this on their own time rather than me having to pay for the service. I had been informed by Lester that they all wanted to take care of her while I was away. It was not only their way to show their support of me, but a way to stay close to me since I wasn't around. None of them had the full explanation as to what I was doing. As far as Ranger was concerned the only information that he had been given was that I was working as a Liaison for the Families. He had no clue about my government contract.

Grandma Mazur kept the conversation light, but I could see there was more that she wanted to tell me, so I asked her to have dinner with me this weekend, letting her know that I had Sunday night free and would love to have her, Val and her family join us if they would like. She accepted and told me that she would ask Val and get back to me. She also asked me to bring Adrian with me. That shocked me, but I guess that he had been around her as well. After giving her a big hug I headed back to my car and prepared for my next stop. Rangeman.


	9. Chapter 9 The Return Home Part III

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**Also, Thank you for Margaret Fowler. You have given some great suggestions and paths to think about as well. Hold on to your seat because this is going to be a wild ride! **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**The Return Home Part III**

The drive over to Rangeman was uneventful and I quickly pulled up out front. I no longer had my key fob to get into the garage or anywhere in the building. After I had turned in my keys that last day I worked here I had not returned to the building. Honestly, it was too hard to be in a place where I thought of nothing but Ranger. It had killed me when he left for that mission before my two weeks had been up and I knew he would be gone for a year, but he made no attempt to speak with me or even leave me a note to say goodbye. I had seen him from a distance as he got on the elevator heading down to the garage to leave, we locked eyes, and I saw a haunted look to his face, but couldn't understand what exactly it was. I had later found out that he had volunteered for the mission and that he had told Tank that 'he couldn't be here to watch me change.' It saddened me but I had to let go and figured that this was his choice.

I step out of my car with an excitement to see all of my guys and walk through the door to be stopped in my tracks by a new recruit at the reception desk. He looks up at me and just stares at me. The classic Rangeman blank face, I had to laugh. I stepped up to the desk and asked, "Are Tank, Lester or Bobby available? I would like to speak with them if they have a moment." I hear the camera moving above me and I can hear it whirling into focus. I groan inwardly, as I know they are watching my interaction with this unknown to me male.

"Do you have an appointment ma'am?" He asks.

"No but if you tell them who is here I am sure that they will see me." I go to give him my name and he cuts me off.

"Ma'am they are all in meetings all day today. Would you like to make an appointment to meet with any of them next week?" He asks me with a straight face.

I raise my eyebrow at him, "Just let anyone in the control room know that Stephanie is here. I know they are watching me with the camera overhead so they already know that I am here. Just call it up." I finger wave at the camera and give them my heart melting smile. I hear the man at the desk catch his breath at my smile and I giggle inwardly. I guess I did get some traits from Ranger after all.

"Ma'am, I have been given orders not to call upstairs to disturb them. There is only one person that those rules don't apply to, but it doesn't seem to be you. I don't know anyone by the name Stephanie that they would be willing to see." He tells me. I can tell that he's being honest, but what the hell? They know I hate to say what they want to hear. Arrrrgh!

I sigh and slump my shoulders and shake my head slightly before I look back at him. "Fine, I'll play along with your stupid games for now. Tell them Bombshell is here to see them. And then tell them that they better be ready to get their asses kicked in the gym as well for making me say that name, they know I hate it."

His eyes widen at the mention of Bombshell and when I finish my statement he relays the message to the control room quickly. Moments later I hear a thundering sound coming from the stairwell and brace myself for impact and am not surprised when about 15 Rangemen exit the stairs and encircle me, lifting me off my feet and taking me towards the elevator.

I giggle at the reaction I get and state, "Hey, what about the stairs? Am I too heavy to carry up five flights?" Their direction quickly changes to the stairs and they are cheering at my comment. "You know there was no way for us all to get in that elevator and it go anywhere, plus I don't feel like plummeting to my death in an elevator. There is absolutely no fun in that."

That got me a round of laughs as we made it into the control room and I was passed around to all the guys who were on duty and we were quickly joined by a bunch of guys that had been off duty. To help with the crowd control we moved into the conference room and sit around the table after they had all gotten a chance to give me a hug and kissed my head. The only one that deviated from the pattern was Lester. Instead of kissing me on the head he planted a hot kiss to my lips and bent me over in a dip like we had done on the dance floor a few times. I smiled a seductive smile up at him when he stands me back up before I take my seat. Lester sits on my right and Tank on my left with Bobby next to him and then the room was filled with the other guys I had seen infrequently over the last two years. The room held, Cal, Hal, Woody, Junior, Manny, Vince, Binky, Brett, Bones, Hector, Hawk, Erik, Sal, Grant, Sid and Raptor. The control room was being manned by a group of new employees that I had not yet met, but seemed to know exactly who I was and were very nice when I arrived.

I was a bit surprised by the reception to be honest. I know that I had spoken with them over the phone and seen some in person individually, but was taken aback that they would just accept me back in the fold like nothing had changed. Tank was the first to speak up, "So Bomber you look wonderful. What have you been doing, and where have you been keeping yourself?"

"Well I have been traveling quite a bit over the last few years as you well know. I ended up visiting some places in the US that I never thought I would, but hey it's all a part of the job. You know Vegas was definitely an interesting place to be. Their party scene leaves something to be desired though. I have to say that the Northwest was not my favorite, but I was there in the winter and it did noting but rain the entire time I was there. I want to go back during the summer next time. Maybe I will come away with a better opinion. You know how my hair gets when I get rained on. Not a pretty sight." That gets me a round of laughs from the guys as I hear comments like 'drown rat', or 'at least it wasn't garbage'. I had to agree with that one.

"As far as what I have been up to, well you know what I have been up against. Trying to keep the Families from ripping each others throats out has been a true test, but things have been going really smoothly the last year. All of the Families have accepted my role in the organization and there have only been a few minor problems. Some I am sure that you have heard about, others maybe not so much. I try to keep them quiet. The only ones that seem to have an issue with me would be the groups from the Middle East, But in those instances I go with a group rather than alone."

That comment got me some speculative stares from the guy. "What do you mean for those you don't go in alone? Don't you always have back up when you work?" this came from Woody.

"No, for the most part I go in alone and deal one on one with the Head of the Family. I am well protected and know how to defend myself. Trust me the Families wouldn't make a move on me without some serious repercussions. And none of them are willing to take that risk. Besides most of them I knew before I even took the job, so it was easy to step into the role in most areas." I respond.

"How did you know them before? To my knowledge, before you took this position you had only been out to Vegas twice and never to California or the Northwest." This came from Bobby.

"Quiet a few of them I went to college with at Rutgers. And if I didn't know the Head of the Family before this job, I knew the wives. It really is a small world guys. I have made a lot of connections throughout my life, I just never liked to use them. Honestly it was part of the reason that I was offered the position. I was able to reconnect with many of them through Alexander Ramos, Vito Grizolli, Anthony Giambucchi and Mario Bianchi."

Their eyes got wider with each name. "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that you have known the Head of the Largest Crime Family in Chicago since college?" this from Hal.

"Well when I first met him he wasn't the Head of the Family at the time, but yes I have known Tony for a very long time. And his wife Marissa is one of my best friends from college. Actually we are going out to dinner and dancing tomorrow night since he flew back with me this morning. And he actually went to the TPD with me to deliver some paperwork we had for them. It was quite entertaining actually." I shake my head at the memory of what took place earlier today.

"I know that smirk. What happened while you were there and what did you do?" Tank asks me with wide eyes.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear about it already. Morelli go the shit beat out of him. I believe that he ended up with a broke nose and arm, dislocated should of the same arm, a blow to the stomach, kick to the back of his bad leg and was on the floor face down without even landing a punch, if I remember correctly. The sad part was that it barely even lasted one minute. The only mark I have is his handprint on my arm from spinning me around." I shrug my shoulders. "There was no challenge in it. I was really disappointed by that." That got a bunch of them laughing while others stared at me wide eyed.

"He attached you in the PD?" a stunned Lester asked

"Yep"

"You kicked his ass in the PD?" a shocked Binkie asked.

"Yep"

"They didn't arrest you?" a thoroughly confused Junior asked.

"Nope"

"They stuck up for you?" a completely confused Vince asked.

"Not even close."

"Did Anthony Giambucchi stand up for you?" asked Manny with a slight smile that disappeared when I responded.

"No need to."

"What do you mean no need to? You were attacked in the PD in front of other Officers and the Head of one of the most feared Crime Families in the US." This came from Lester.

"Exactly what I said, there was no need for anyone to defend me. I stood up for myself and made it clear that Morelli was to stay away from me and to never touch me again if he new what was good for him."

"You threatened him in the PD? Are you crazy?" Tank nearly exploded. There was a explosion of voices that were very upset with the turn of events from the TPD. So I held up my hand to get them to calm down before I responded.

"One, no I am not crazy just well informed. I did not threaten him. I simply warned him what could happen if he did not listen to what he was being told. No one touches me like that or treats me like that and gets away with it. Two, the paperwork that I dropped off Chief Preston was expecting and now they all know that I am untouchable as far as the law goes. They can't arrest me for any reason and they are to stay out of my way unless I call for their assistance. Since I am the Liaison for **all **of the Families they need me more than I need them. They have my business phone number and have been informed to only call it when is was work related. The number is not to be given out to anyone outside the PD, and if it is, that person will be suspended and dealt with accordingly. They are also only allowed to use if for business reasons. They are not allowed to go directly to any Head of the Families without speaking with me and setting up an appointment."

That information caused the room to go completely silent. I wasn't surprised in the least by their reaction. They didn't know all of the details of my position and at this point in time they didn't need to know. Not that I didn't trust them, it was just better to keep some information to myself for a while.

We all decided to relocate to Shorty's for pizza and beer for dinner so we could continue the conversation. By the time the pizza was completely gone we were all feeling good and they were surprised that I was not completely wasted. I used to get drunk off of two beers. If they only knew how much I could drink in one sitting without being affected these days they would be blown away.

We talked about old times and some of my old mishaps. What the guys have been doing and how business was going. Never once did the subject of Ranger come up and for that I was thankful. I knew he was on another mission somewhere, but was not sure how I would feel hearing that he had gotten involved with someone else. We laughed over some 'redecorating jobs', some dates that they had been on that went horribly wrong, and that one of the guys had a psycho stalker girlfriend. I had to laugh at that one. The guys never had stalkers, but apparently this girl had decided that she and Cal were meant to be and was unwilling to let go when he decided it wasn't working out. She blew up his personal car, sent him love notes to Rangeman, and tried to attack a girl that he was on a date with while they were out. I was glad to hear that the new girl he was seeing didn't get hurt, but couldn't stop laughing when I heard that his car was blown up. He didn't appreciate it very much, but apparently the guys had called him Bomber for a few days after that happened. I apologized to him, but told him that I was glad someone else now knew what it felt like. At that he nodded and gave me a weak smile.

At about eleven I had to call it a night, but let them know that I would be in touch with them. They all got both my personal and business number and I got a round of hugs and kisses before we left.

Lester pulled me aside before I left saying, "I am really proud of you Beautiful. You haven't forgotten who you are and I can see that you are truly happy. I know I saw you a few months ago but it still seems like forever." With that he places another hot kiss on my lips. With a wolfish grin and a wag of his eyebrows he says, "Maybe once you get settled we can go out dancing like last time. I had a lot of fun and I know you did to as I recall."

"Forever the playboy Lester, I like it." I say shaking my head with a laugh and a eyebrow wag of my own. "I definitely had fun and would love to repeat it. Give me a call and we can set it up. This weekend is full, but next week should be good, talk to you soon Lester." I kiss him on the lips before I step back and get in my car.

"Good night Beautiful, by the way the car suits you, sleek and sexy, and I like it best topless." He wags his eyebrows at me.

"A one track mind as always. You may want to make sure that your other head is working too once in a while, you know." As I shake my head in mock disgust.

"No need Beautiful, no need. The one south is the most important to me." he laughs.

"You seriously need help Lester Santos." was my only reply.

"I will take your help anytime Beautiful. Drive safe." And he walks off laughing to the guys waiting at the SUV for him. With a wave I head to Deal for a good night sleep in preparation for the morning job.


	10. Chapter 10 New Job New Problems

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**New Job, New Problems**

I had really enjoyed my time with my guys. It had been a long time since all of us had been together. Well, almost all of us anyway. I woke up early to get prepared for the day ahead. I did my morning workout, which these days, includes a ten mile run on the beach. It helps to clear my head and get me centered for what is to come. I return to the mansion and head straight to my room to shower and get dressed before breakfast. I head downstairs and am greeted warmly by the chef as well as, Adrian, Alexander, Tony and his bodyguards all sitting at the table waiting for me.

"Good morning my lady, you certainly must have had a good time last night. You didn't even come see me when you got home?" smiles Adrian as he hugs me and kisses my lips lightly.

"Good morning Adrian, Tony, Alexander." giving Tony and Alexander a kiss on the cheek as I go by to get to my seat at the table. "I did have a very good night actually. The guys acted as if I had never left. Well, almost anyway." All three of them look at me waiting to explain. "I told them what happened at the PD yesterday and it surprised the hell out of them. They were actually pissed that Morelli even tried to put a finger on me and then were upset at first that no one defended me." That got me a round of snickers from my tablemates. "When I explained that I didn't need to be defended at first they were surprised, but I think that they were even more surprised that I hadn't been arrested. I had to explain some of the reason for that, but they don't have all the details yet. I didn't think that Shorty's, even though it is Rangeman territory was the most secure place to have that discussion, and I wasn't ready to spill all the beans yet. There were a few guys that were there that know the whole story, but they won't say anything until the time is right." They all nodded at that.

"Well, are you ready to deal with this situation this morning?" asked Tony. "We have a fun evening planned and I know that Marissa would like to go to the Spa with you this afternoon. She was very excited when I told her what we would be doing this evening. And she had a hard time trying to stop laughing when I explained what took place and what was said at the PD yesterday. She shares you sick sense of humor Bella."

"Glad to hear it. Even though I went to the Spa the other day I will never turn down an opportunity to get a massage. I never know when the next opportunity will come up so I may as well take advantage."

Some light conversation continued through breakfast and then we are ready to go. Adrian headed towards the library for some reading, but not before kissing me and giving me a pat on the butt, while Tony, Alexander and I go off to deal with a small problem named "Boots".

The three of us travel in one car driven by Alexander's driver to a remote section of an Industrial area just outside of Trenton. When the car drives through the open roll up doors we are greeted by Harry the Hammer, Vito Grizolli, Jeffrey Masterson (Arms Dealer from the Miami Area) and Juan Jalisco (Drug Cartel from New York). We exit and the car pulls away and the roll up doors come down to avoid prying eyes.

All of the men shake hands while I receive hugs and kisses to the head by way of greeting. Once everyone has said hello we travel to a back corner of the warehouse and take the stairs down to the bowels of the building. Once at the bottom of the stairs we continue to the end of the dark hallway and stop in front of a closed door. I use the key that was given to me by the guard standing at the door, unlock and push it open and then everyone files in. In a metal chair centered in the room placed over a rather large blue tarp is non-other than "Boots" looking a little worse for wear. A look of pure fear crosses his face momentarily, to quickly be replaced by a hard mask to hide his emotions. I honestly don't think it was that hard, compared to others that I have seen, especially among the Merry Men, but this man didn't have to take the number of lives that they did.

"Boots, you know why we are here?" I ask as the door closes behind all of us. I get no response. So I back hand him, but not using all the force I have, just enough to get his attention.

"Let's try this again Boots. Do you know why we are here?" I ask again.

With a look of pure hatred he stares at me and responds, "I know that I am here for attacking someone outside my own territory. And the funny thing is that she looked just like you, bitch." That earned him a series of punches from me to the face, gut and side of the head. He was knocked unconscious with only three hits.

I turned my back to him while waiting for him to wake back up. "Three punches, that's all it took." I smile at Tony and joke "This tough guy has been working for you? Are you sure he's been trained? That was too easy, honestly."

"Well, he is usually the one doing the hurting, not being hurt. Besides he doesn't have the heart of a lion like you do. Why don't you splash some water on his face, I have a feeling if he went out that easily he will take too long to wake up on his own." Tony says with humor.

"True true, but still I would think since he thinks that women are so far inferior to him that he would be able to withstand a bit more from me. I wasn't even using all my strength on him. I was trying to make it last longer." The guys all laugh at that and I grab a bucket of water from the other side of the room and splash some on Boots.

"Have a nice nap Boots? Do you remember falling asleep?" I thought rubbing it in would help to break him quickly. He wasn't much of a challenge anyway. "You see, one of your mistakes was that you chose to come to Trenton. The second was that you chose to attack a defenseless woman that did nothing to you. And third was that you chose to challenge me and the Heads of all the Families. Not a very smart move on your part Boots. What did you think you were going to prove by attacking someone that had nothing to do with us? I can't imagine that it was to scare me off, because if it was, you should have come after me yourself, not brought someone else into this. Were you afraid of me Boots?"

"Screw you. I'm not afraid of you. You're just a bitch that has wormed your way into the beds of all the men present in this room except mine. I don't have to explain myself to you. You are nothing but a whore that is only good for one thing." seethes Boots.

"See, now I know you're a stupid man. You just insulted the Head of the Families present in this room by insinuating that they share a woman. You also called them stupid for letting a woman do their jobs. Only a fool would dare to take that stance. But we already have determined that you're a fool haven't we Boots. See only a man concerned about the size of his dick would be worried about having a woman running him or his business. So, you must have a very small one to have to go to these lengths to prove what a man you are. You chose my home town, you chose someone who looked like me to attack because you couldn't get to me. That shows me that not only do you have a little dick, but that you are a coward." I look him straight in the eye while speaking. I can feel the tension radiating off of the men behind me in the room so I decided to knock Boots out with a series of punches, breaking his nose, cracking his ribs and possibly breaking his jaw with a round house kick to the head.

"Any of you want to take a punch at him to let some of the tension loose?" I ask the group behind me.

"I would love to, but I would probably break my hand." says Harry. I nod at him in understanding. The man is in his sixties and not in the best of shape. I would say he has not had to throw a punch since he was in his early twenties.

"No need to get a work out on this one. I would much rather spend my time and energy on the dance floor with my wife this evening." says Tony. I smile at him in response. "I will however talk to him when we wake him back up this next time."

"I am actually enjoying watching you work him. If we don't put him out of his misery soon you may wear yourself out from smart mouth comments. This has actually been a good morning outside of being disrespected. Are you alright with it?" asked Jeffrey. "He said some pretty nasty things about you Sweetheart."

"Nothing I haven't heard from the Plums or Morelli. Remember what I told you use what they say against them in the interrogation. If they say it about you it usually means they have a problem themselves. I would prove my point about his small dick but I'm really not interested in seeing it myself. It probably has some kind of disease." That got the group laughing. "Vito would you like a go?"

"No need for that, you are handling it perfectly my dear. I am proud of you. Do you want to keep working him, or are you finished? I don't want to rush your fun." Vito smiles.

"I honestly don't enjoy getting my hands dirty anymore. But you have made my week with your work Sweets." says Juan.

I turn to Alexander who shakes his head no with a broad smile. "Okay then. Lets wake him up and you can talk to him Tony." I grab the bucket of water and toss it all on him and he comes to with a start. Groaning in pain as he raises his head, guess I hurt his neck when I kicked him, too bad for him. "Boots would you like to say anything to the Families that you have insulted?" I ask him. I see him try to open his mouth but the only thing that comes out is another groan, ah I was right broken jaw, well I guess he doesn't get any last words.

Tony steps closer to Boots to speak and I step back to stand just behind and to the left of him. "Boots you have dishonored my Family with your actions, and then you dishonor me with the words that you have spoken today. Things are changing for the better in our Organization and it saddens me that you were unable to see this as a positive step. The old ways will not work in this changing world. Your actions have caused other problems that we must work to fix and today should help with most of them. Your elimination will serve as a warning that actions, such as these, will not be tolerated. I will personally make sure that the word gets out of what you tried to accomplish and failure as a warning to others of what is to come if they do not step into line." Tony pauses to look Boots straight in the eye, "All of your liquid assets will be turned over to the young woman that you assaulted to help her recover and get the therapy she will need. Not one of the Families here in this room, or any that were unable to attend today condone your behavior towards women. This is also something that will be made known. Women are to be treasured and cared for, not abused physically and emotionally, and then thrown away. You will be spending your eternity in hell for what you have done." With that Tony takes out his 9mm and shoots Boots dead center in the heart.

Not one of the men in the room flinches at the shot, or is surprised by the actions. We all stand there for a few minutes just looking at the man who tried to ruin all of our hard work over the last two years. I move over to Boots body to check for his pulse and find none. With that done the cuffs are removed from his wrists, shackles from his ankles and his body is pushed to the floor so the chair can be removed. The guard from outside the room helps me to wrap the body in the tarp. Once we complete the wrapping the guard picks up the body and removes it from the room to be disposed of at a local construction site where we managed to arrange the pouring of the concrete basement of a new parking garage being built. The rest of us say our goodbyes and leave the building just as we came.

The ride back to Deal was quiet as we each thought about what occurred this morning. Knowing that other than finishing up with making it a well known fact of what would happen if anyone thought of pulling a stunt like this again, as well as making sure Boots victim was taken care of, since we take care of our own, we would not discuss this again.

When we reached the house we all went our separate ways. I went to my room and changed into work out clothes to go to the beach for another run so I could clear my head. The work this morning was never my favorite part of the job, but it had to be done to keep the population as a whole safe. The last two years of work to calm the waters between the Families across the United States alone could have been compromised by the actions of one person. My job has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. I have had to fight battles both verbally and physically the entire time, but have always come out on top, sometimes because of my name and others because of being the better opponent. I have known a great deal of these people for more than two years and quickly earned their loyalty and respect, but their underlings did not necessarily always have warm fuzzy feelings for me. However in the two years that I have been doing this job the underlings have gradually accepted my role, as they have seen less and less deaths from territory disputes and disrespect between the Families. My position as the Liaison between all of the Families, whether they are Arms Dealers, Crime Families, or Drug Cartels, has also cut down on the interference from the governments in certain countries. The US Government approached me almost at the beginning of this job and asked for my assistance when I was available with the International Cartels when they heard what the plan was for the US Families. At first we turned them down, because we needed to establish the ground work here. But the success that we had within the first six months and the amount of lives that had been saved had the government knocking on my door again and basically begging for my help.

I took two days to think about it before I approached the Heads of the Families I deal with in a conference call. It was decided that as long as the US was the main business and set firmly that it would help our own business if the International Cartels were not at war with each other and fighting for dominance or a foot hold in the US. So the last year had been spent trying to get the Central and South American Cartels organized and calmed. I had already been to Europe and Russia and dealt with the Organizations there since our own Families had connections there and they accepted me in short order. It took longer than in the US, but that was understandable since they were not always comfortable working with someone from outside their own country. It took time to gain their trust, but most of the unrest has been settled for the time being. Some areas I still speak with weekly on the phone, but will only be traveling down there if something is completely FUBAR for right now. The only areas that I refuse to work are the Middle East and China, and all Governments of the countries that I was working in were included in the details to prevent any legal problems. I made sure that those details were written into the contract. Trenton is where I need to be for the time being.

I was able to make some really good friends while out of the country and look forward to being able to visit them with out working, but at this time that won't be possible. As I finish my second run of the day I feel more relaxed and centered than when I started. I look up to the patio to see Adrian watching me as I run up the steps. When I reach him he stands and envelopes me in a big hug to just hold me tight to him.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just needed to clear my head a bit." I state into his chest.

"Is there anything I can get you? Are you sure you're up for tonight?" he asks in an empathetic voice.

I smile up at him and kiss his lips. "You can come up and help me get ready for our night out if you like. Pick out an outfit you'd like for me to wear. I'll leave it up to your imagination and my closet. I figure with your imagination it may take you a while to make up your mind. Just keep in mind we will be with Tony and Marissa this evening, not to mention who ever else will be at the restaurant." At that he gives me a wicked smile and we head upstairs to figure out our clothes for the evening before I get ready to leave for the spa.


	11. Chapter 11 An Evening With Family

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**An Evening with Family**

The night out with Adrian, Tony and Marissa had been wonderful. The restaurant was a very expensive Italian Food hot spot on the outskirts of Trenton called "Bella". Tony mentioned that he picked the restaurant for Marissa and I. There was a huge dance floor in the middle of the restaurant and there were many couples out there enjoying the music and their partners. I could tell this was going to an enjoyable evening. We all ordered our food, with wine and left our table to take a spin on the dance floor. Adrian and I were immediately in each others arms and you could not have even put a piece of paper between us. We twirled around the floor and were so lost in each other that Tony actually had to tap us on the shoulder to let us know that our food had arrived. The conversation over dinner was very upbeat and Marissa and I discussed possibly making a shopping trip to New York before she left to head back to Chicago. We talked about travelling to different cities and locations of possible vacation spots for our next opportunity to get away. I would love to go back to Paris, without having to work, but maybe a better spot would be somewhere I don't have any work contacts. I could use some down time and getting away with friends would be a great way to do it.

By the time our evening came to a close it was about two o'clock in the morning. Adrian and I headed back to Deal for the night and Tony went with Marissa to her family's estate. Adrian and I were more than ready for bed by the time we arrived and went straight to sleep. We knew we would be seeing Grandma Mazur, as well as Val and her family for dinner the next day. We were planning on getting some time in the sun on the beach as well. The weather had been beautiful the last few days and we were worried that it wouldn't last.

Adrian and I spent the morning walking on the beach and splashing each other or throwing one another into the incoming surf. Since there weren't many people around we were able to just be ourselves and have a good time. It had been so long since we'd had the chance to let loose and enjoy each others company outside of the house. We kept the conversation off my work topics, but Adrian told me about some of his most challenging cases at the hospital that he had and how he felt about being able to assist in their recovery. Adrian may come from a family of Arms Dealers, but he is as honorable as they come. He works especially hard to help those that are brought in with gun shot wounds knowing that the injuries could possibly have come from his families business. He does not look down on others and supports his family no matter what. Adrian has helped not only me, but has also been there for my Grandma Mazur while I have been away.

"You know you grandma is very proud of you. When I spoke with her the last time before you got back she couldn't stop telling me that she believed in your work and how she wished others would feel the same." He smiles at me before there is a darkness that appears in his beautiful hazel eyes. "Apparently her daughter and son-in-law have been pressuring her to move into an assisted living community. They say that as she gets older she is losing her ability to take care of herself. There was a small fire in the apartment a few weeks ago, but it had nothing to do with her. One of her friends was over and decided to smoke in the living room while she was cooking in the kitchen; the couch caught fire, as well as the curtains on the window. It was a good thing there was a fire extinguisher in the kitchen that she was able to use to put out the fire before it got out of hand. However the fire department had already been called and then the news got through the 'burg' grapevine and blew it out of proportion as they always do." He pauses to take a breath and shake his head. "Her daughter started yelling at her in front of everyone when she ran into her at the store, and she did not hold back. She even brought up the fact that you had turned into a criminal." I sucked in a breath at the idea of my grandma being yelled at in public, I could care less what people think of me. "Edna just told her to stuff it and she could not be more proud of what you had become. She also mentioned that she should 'get that huge stick up her ass removed before it caused any more damage'." He made the air quote at her statement. "Your grandma certainly doesn't worry about what others think which is good, but it only made things worse. The yelling started getting louder and the police became involved and almost arrested Edna for being a public nuisance. Luckily the guys from Rangeman arrived and removed her from the store before she could say anything else, but they had to take her to Bobby because she was having a difficult time breathing from all of the yelling. I checked her out that night and found out that she if suffering from a mild case of asthma, but other wise is perfectly healthy. But, her daughter is trying to go to court to have her be deemed as having diminished capacity. They want control of the funds that you give her as well as to limit your access to her."

I was not completely shocked at what I was hearing, but when I spoke with grandma on Friday she hadn't mentioned anything about this and the guys at Rangeman hadn't either. It angered me that I was just hearing about this, but at the time it occurred I wasn't available to do anything about it. The guys and Adrian had stepped in the best they could at the time, but now it was my turn to step up and deal with it.

"Do you know whether they've been able to get a judge to see their complaint? I mean if this was a few weeks ago they may have back off of this attempt and are just waiting for something else to happen would be my guess."

"So far grandfather and I have been able to hold off any judge from making a decision on whether they will see the evidence. We figured that the best bet would be for you to deal with them directly when you got back, and however you want to handle it is fine with us. I think your grandma was planning on talking to you about this tonight, I just wanted to give you a heads up so you wouldn't get too upset in front of her, not that I expect you wouldn't but, I thought if you could get out some frustration ahead of time that might be better so you can enjoy the visit. It has been a long time since you've seen them and the girls have grown a lot. You may be surprised by what they look like now and what they have to say. I can't wait to see your reaction to them." There was a broad smile on his face when he said the last part.

We stopped walking and I pulled him into a hot kiss that lasted until we needed to break for air. "Thank you for taking care of her for me. You have always been there for me, and I know that she really likes you. I think she may be more interested in seeing you tonight than me." I smiles up at him before I say, "But you may want to make sure that she doesn't see all of you or you'll never be able to get away from her." I giggle at the horrified look on his face. "We should probably head in to get ready. I think a good workout may be a good idea." I wag my eyebrows at him and we run into the house.

A few hours later we were heading to the restaurant to meet with Grandma Mazur, Val and her family. When we arrived we made sure that we had a table that was in the back of the restaurant where we didn't have to worry about the kids getting too loud and we could discuss the issues that had come up with the Plums. I also made sure that the tables close to us remained empty offering to pay to make up for the lose of business for the privacy.

When everyone had arrived, hugs and kisses had been given and general pleasantries were out of the way, we were all seated and I was between Grandma Mazur and Adrian. Mary Alice was on the other side of Adrian, while on the other side of the table sat Val, Albert, Angie and Lisa. We heard about school for the girls and all of the activities that they had been involved in. Adrian was right about my being surprised by what the girls looked like. They both had grown quite a bit taller, but what surprised me the most was that they both had long brown curly hair. When I asked them about it they said that they wanted to be just like me when they grew up. That comment alone actually brought tears to my eyes. I turned to Val and the only thing that she said was that they knew I was helping to prevent others from being hurt and that they wanted to do the same thing.

After dinner was finished and dessert had been ordered I turned to Grandma Mazur and asked in a soft tone "I can see that there is something that you need to tell me, would you like to wait until we take you home or would you like to talk about it now? I can see the worry in your eyes grandma."

"Steph, I don't want you to think that you need to take care of me. I'm just an old woman that has been through her share of hurt and it is finally catching up to me. You don't need to worry about me I can take care of myself." She says to me with a shaky voice.

"I know you can. You're where I get it from, but I also have learned that sometimes it takes others to help before an issue can be resolved. What is it that you're worried about?"

"Helen is trying to have me sent to a retirement home so that she can isolate me. Apparently I'm an embarrassment to her and she is tired of having to hear about my comings and goings. There was a fire in the living room that I put out that was caused by a friend and she accused me of starting it. Val even spoke up and told her it wasn't my fault but you know her, she didn't even listen. Then a confrontation in the store and I had a hard time breathing. She is trying to use that to her advantage to gain legal power over me." Grandma says sadly.

"So she's turned her anger on you since I'm not around to lash out at. I think she may just want control of your money and to keep you away from me. Don't worry about anything I'll make a few calls and it will all be taken care of. Is everything else alright? You have everything that you need?" I asked her trying to change the subject to something a bit happier.

"Oh yeah, everything else is great. I have a new boyfriend that I hope you will have a chance to meet sometime soon. He's a real looker, and he has a good ticker. I went to his doctors' office with him last week so that he could get approval for bedroom activity. I got checked by your boy there and he told me I was good to go other than a bit of asthma, otherwise I am healthy as a horse and rearing to go." I winced at the choice of words as well as the image that was just placed in my head. Looking at Adrian he had a somewhat dazed expression on her face at her comments.

The only thing I could say to that was, "That's good to hear."

Dinner came to a close and we all agreed that we would have to get together again soon and I mentioned that maybe we could go out to Point Pleasant as soon as it warmed up a bit more. That got a squeal of delight from the girls and a smile from Val and Albert. After the goodbyes were said we dropped grandma off at her apartment and reminded her not to worry about anything that I would take care of it first thing tomorrow.

When we got back home Adrian and I discussed a few ways to handle the issue with my grandma and left a message with the Family attorney. This way he could get to work on both a restraining order for the Plums and get grandma's medical history to show that she is in fact capable of taking care of herself. We knew that in her 'will' she left it up to me to decide how all of her things should be divided among everyone and I knew what her wishes were. The money that I had given her she wanted me to take back, but I had convinced her that we would put it in a college fund for Val's girls instead, since I didn't need it. The money is really what the Plums wanted to control. I guess that since the money had been filtered through grandma it was no longer the 'blood money' that they had said that I was making. Go figure, if it fit their purpose they would do anything to get that amount of money and that included selling out their family. Adrian and I went upstairs to bed shortly after making the call. Tomorrow would make for an interesting day.

**I am not 100% happy with this chapter, but I needed to move the story along. I hope that you enjoyed it. **

**Please let me know if you have any ideas that you would like included in the story. There is a lot of action coming up next so be prepared. I am excited for what is to come next. **


	12. Chapter 12 A New Problem

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**A New Challenge**

Adrian and I woke with a start as his pager went off for the hospital and he found that he had to leave right away. With a quick shower, and a kiss goodbye he was out of the room in less than 10 minutes. Instead of getting up right away I called the Core Team at Rangeman to see if they were up to going to lunch sometime this week and made plans with them for mid-week and thanked them for helping with taking care of grandma and explained that I had been informed of the situation and would be taking care of it today. They all apologized for not saying anything sooner, but they wanted me to enjoy my night with them without getting angry about something that couldn't be fixed right then. Explaining that I wasn't upset and that they were absolutely right, we all agreed to go to Pino's on Wednesday.

I got up and completed my work out in the downstairs gym and then completed my usual bathroom routine of lightly applied make up, hair softly cascading over my shoulders and down my back, and dressed in form fitting jeans, boat neck three quarter sleeve blue silk blouse and black 4" FMPs. Finally getting downstairs and greeting the chef and Alexander we discussed my plan for getting the Plums to leave Grandma Mazur alone. Alexander was interested to say the least in the plan that I had come up with and was looking forward to the fall out. The Family attorney called me and informed me that he was indeed able to get the restraining order against the Plums and was emailing it to me right then. Step one down, now to print it off as well as some pictures that were less than pleasing to look at and I was on my way out to deal with this latest turn of events.

After stopping at the Tasty Pastry for a box of doughnuts for the girls I pull up in front of the bonds office. Walk through the door I was nearly squished to death between Lula and Connie, thankfully I had good reflexes to raise the box above my head so it wasn't destroyed. Since I had not seen them in a while they filled me in on what the 'burg' was saying about me, most of which I already knew, and some of which really made me laugh. But my favorite was the showdown in the TPD and how apparently I had gone 'gonzo' on the poor Morelli boy. They also said that the rest of the officers were so stunned that they couldn't do anything but stand still and take in what was happening. Oh yeah, that spoke highly of the TPD, officers that were stunned into inaction while a fellow officer is being assaulted. I find it amazing that people would actually think that it's a positive thing to watch someone get their ass kicked. However in the case of Morelli I think that there are a lot of women who would be more than happy to see it happen.

Connie and Lula were going to help get the ball rolling on my plan to get the Plums off of grandmas back. As soon as I finished telling them what was happening and what my plan was to deal with it they were immediately on the phone spreading the word. I thanked them for their help and let them know I would love to go out for a girls' night out soon. They were all for that and Connie and Lula would figure out where we would go. I said my goodbyes and headed toward the Plums house patting the envelope in the seat next to me.

I pull my car up to the curb and take a deep breath before exiting with the envelope and my small clutch bag heading towards the front door of the house that I once knew as home. I knock on the door and it is opened a few moments later by Frank. I had already opened the security door so once the front door was open I walked straight in to the living room and waited for him to join me. Helen appeared from the kitchen a few moments later asking "Who was it Frank?" and she stops dead in her tracks when she sees me. I notice that the phone is not ringing off the hock so she must have unplugged it.

Neither Frank nor Helen offer me any kind of greeting and after a few minutes wait I walk to the phone and plug the cord back in and it immediately starts ringing. Helen makes a grab for the phone cord but I stop her and answer the phone on speaker saying "Plum residence."

"Oh my god Helen is it true, does Frank visit Stark Street for hookers when he is supposed to driving his cab. And that he actually has sex in the car with them? I heard from Marybeth Simmons, who heard it from Tina Domico, who heard it from her neighbors' cousin just today." asks Agnes Baccato.

"Really you don't say. I heard the same thing just this morning Mrs. Baccato. You would think that if someone that didn't want to be seen in an area like that would be a bit more careful rather than going out in broad day light to get their jollies wouldn't you?" I comment.

"Well yes you would, but who is this? I know this isn't Helen." Agnes Baccato asks.

"Oh this is Stephanie, Mrs. Baccato. I just stopped by to see if the rumor was true for myself. I haven't gotten an answer yet though. As soon as I do I'll give you a call back and let you know and that way you can have the correct information to spread through the 'burg'. Would that help you?" I hear her gasp on the other end when I say my name.

"Why yes dear it would. Thank you. But would you also find out if Helen has fixed her recipe for what used to be the best cake in the 'burg'. I heard that she was beat out in the latest taste test by a plain vanilla cheesecake. Can you imagine that, a plain vanilla cheesecake? That must have been terribly embarrassing for her." She asks me.

"Sure thing Mrs. Baccato I will give you a call back shortly. Tell Anne Marie I said hello if you would for me the next time you talk to her." I state.

"Absolutely dear and if you have a second to stop by and see me I would love to hear about this wonderful new job of your. I hear that you are really making a difference." She says to me.

"Thank you. I will get back to you on that. Bye Mrs. Baccato."

"Bye dear. Talk to you soon." She says and hangs up.

As soon as I hit the button to end this side of the conversation the phone immediately begins to ring again. I pull the cord on the phone again so that we are once again in silence. The Plums had not said one word since I answered the phone and were staring at me with mouths wide open doing their version of the fish impression.

I wait for them to regain some composure then say, "Well I guess you caused your own embarrassment this time."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum how dare you…" Helen starts to yell at me.

"My name is not Plum, and it hasn't been for more than two years. There is no paperwork having to do with me that has the name Plum on it. All paperwork including my birth certificate has been changed to Ramos. And don't you dare yell at me. You are not related to me in any way other than DNA, which unfortunately for me I can't change. But if there is ever a way found believe me I will be at the top of that list to have it done."

"You are a disgrace to women everywhere. You are not welcome in this house, get out." Helen states with anger in her voice.

"Interesting take on my position you have considering I'm working to prevent women being abused and saving the lives of innocent people everyday. Other than feed people in this house, I don't see how you are a shining example of what a woman should be."

"That is quite enough Stephanie; you shouldn't talk to her that way." Frank chastises.

"Oh please, she has more often than not spoken to me and grandma that way and has not been put in her place often enough. You see the 'burg' caught wind of some interesting information today it seems and they are looking to get some information that I will be only to happy to give them. I'm assuming that the phone has been ringing off the hook and that was why it was unplugged when I arrived. Did you happen to confirm the rumors or deny them? You see the more you deny them the bigger the story gets blown out of proportion until the next big juicy piece of gossip comes along. But rumors are rumors unless you have proof of them. Isn't that right?" I pause to let that sink in. "Things wouldn't blow over quite as quickly if there was actual proof." I look him in the eye and see that his widen at my statement.

"Are you trying to blackmail us? I will call the police on you and have you arrested. Working with those heathens has destroyed any sense of right and wrong that I taught you as a child. Maybe in jail you will learn your how to behave." Helen says.

I look at her doing an almost fish impression myself for her sheer stupidity. "Are you even hearing what is coming out of you mouth. You need psychiatric help if you think you raised me to know right and wrong. Everything positive I learned was from my grandparents. Grandma Mazur was always the one who encouraged us to be different. I seriously wonder sometimes if you were switched at birth, considering you are nothing like her." I shake my head at her. "The reason that I'm here is to deliver a restraining order to you the requires you to stay 500 feet away from Grandma Mazur, and your attempt to have her deemed as having diminished capacity will not work to get control of her or her bank account. You will not get one scent of her money and you will not be putting her in a retirement community. If you attempt to continue with this plan of yours, these pictures of each of you will be spread throughout the 'burg' to substantiate the story currently circulating about Frank, and cause a brand new one for you Helen. I think the picture of Frank is a rather interesting one. I can't imagine that it was very comfortable in the driver seat of your taxi for your partner there. And if I didn't know any better I could swear that that partner of yours is a bit too large to be any normal size woman, wouldn't you think? Oh and the 'burg' hasn't heard that part, funny. The picture of Helen and her partner would cause a definite uproar considering the age difference between you two. Actually he looks very familiar too. I am pretty sure I have seen that tattoo before. Do I know him?" I stare at both of them expecting some kind of response receiving none.

"If either of you make any attempt to contact Grandma Mazur, continue with your legal plans or attempt to use Val and her girls in any way to help you gain control of Grandma Mazur's interests or try to cut her ties to me these pictures will go public. And there is a lot more where these came from. Something that you might want to think about before you dismiss my threat, the police can't arrest me. Paperwork was delivered to them last week that states I am untouchable. So don't think that you can go to them with black mail charges. Not that I think you will, because then these pictures would come out and you'd be to blame for that. Have a nice day." And I walk out of the house before they can say a word.

Since I am woman of my word I call back Mrs. Baccato and give her confirmation of what I was able to find out from the Plums. No need to tell her that I had physical proof of the incidents in question. I didn't even choose the worst of their acts to bring to the table for this. If these pictures and sworn testimony by parties involved caused embarrassment I would love to see what some of the other things I knew would do to them. Jail time for sure, but since my nieces still spent time with their grandparents I didn't have the heart to put them away for the rest of their lives at the moment, for my nieces benefit I could hold off for now.

The rest of the week went by rather smoothly. I went out with the Merry Men on Wednesday like we'd planned and a girls' night out with Connie, Lula, Mary Lou and to my surprise Val even joined us. We all had a great time and I had a chance to catch up and find out what they have been up to for the last two years. Hearing about them through others was not nearly as satisfying as hearing directly from them. The time away had been great for me and I kept myself busy, but the return to Trenton reminded me just how much I had missed my friends and swore to myself that no matter what happened in my job I would be better about talking to them on the phone and try to see them as much as possible. They understood the need for me to be away, but they told me just how much they missed me and that things just weren't the same without me around. That was both a good and bad thing. I missed seeing them and going out together, but I did not want things to go back to how they once used to be. I wasn't a doormat for anyone anymore. I was now strong, confident and comfortable in my own skin. Thankfully my friends seemed to like the changes in me and accepted me for who I am. I wish that had been the general feeling around town, but this is Trenton and things never go smoothly. At least the problem with the Plums had been taken care of the day that I spoke with them. They fired the lawyer that they were working with and dropped the case that was pending to get control of grandma, and so far they had followed through on the restraining order. We decided to keep that in place for the mean time. Grandma was happier not having to deal with the Plums and I was happy to see the worry leave her. I like to see the craziness that she causes, especially if it is something that would be seen as an embarrassment to the Plums.

I had found out the other day that the Core Team at Rangeman had been called away and they weren't sure when they would be back so I was keeping busy with paperwork at home and finishing up with my usual phone calls for the week when my business phone rang.

Picking up my phone I answered with my usual greeting for business "Stephanie Ramos."

"We have a problem that needs you immediate attention." comes a voice on the other end.

"When, where and who is involved? I can make a few calls before I get there." I state swiftly as I stand up from my desk and head towards my room.

"This seems to be a bit more complicated than usual. There is at least one if not more hostages and we have had to pull back the team that was originally sent in. You will need to call Gutierrez and see what he's up to before you get here. His last known location was in the Caribbean and not Columbia where our issue is. His plane took off shortly after his last check-in with you. I have a helicopter in the air on its way to get you ETA is one hour. They have a file on board for you to look at."

"Alright, I'll make some calls and see what I can come up with." I state before hanging up.

Once in my room I pull out my ready pack and change into my work clothes. I make my calls to those closest to me to let them know I'll be gone for a while, but not sure when I'll be back and that hopefully it won't take that long. I talk to Adrian and let him know what I know is going on and tell him I will call if I can. He wishes me luck and to come back safe. All of my attempts to reach Gutierrez go unanswered at the moment. That could possibly mean he's in transit and has his phone off, he is ignoring my calls, which won't bode well for him if I find out he is, or he's in on whatever is taking place. The last thought is not a good one since that means if he didn't let me know he was up to something he may have to be punished or even possibly replaced with someone we could trust. I am hoping for my first thought to be true, otherwise this could take a whole lot longer than I really want to be down there. And things in Trenton had been fairly calm for the last two weeks; I guess the calm was too good to be true. Alexander stands on the patio with me while we see the helicopter approaching in the distance. He kisses me on the cheek and hugs my shoulder before speaking.

"Be extra careful on this one. I have a feeling this may not be your typical assignment." He warns.

"Yeah I have that feeling too. But you know me; I'll be coming out on top just like always. Just so you know Gutierrez wasn't answering my calls, I'm hoping that the reason is just a coincidence to whatever is going on. I would hate to have to remind him what happens if he is wavering in his loyalties."

"Well, use your judgment and your instincts to lead you and you can't go wrong. They've always proven to be right before." He assures me as the helicopter lands on the beach in front of us. I kiss his cheek and tell him I'll call him and let him know what is going on as soon as possible and then head towards the helicopter. Opening the front passenger door, climbing in and getting myself secured I waive back at Alexander as we lift from the ground and then turn my attention to the file I was just handed and was very surprised at what I found. 'Oh man some heads were going to role for this and not just in Columbia' I thought as we make our way to DC.

**Please let me know if you have any ideas that you would like included in the story. There is a lot of action coming up next so be prepared. I am excited for what is to come next. **


	13. Chapter 13 Problems in Columbia Part I

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part I**

Four Days before D-Day:

(Manny Benitez POV)

Sitting in a restaurant waiting for my contact was beginning to get on my nerves. He's always late and never has a decent excuse. I would kill the man with my bare hands if he wasn't such a high ranking government official. He has given us a heads up every time we were going to be attacked by our competitors, or if there was a government coalition that was aiming at a particular figure head in our business. My contact was paid well for his work, but as of late we have not needed him as much. The Cartel that I work with was the chosen organization in the area to help control the drugs moving in our country. However said control was granted by some bitch of a government operative that I was in no way happy to deal with. Everyone new this operative mainly by reputation and they were all in fear. People were shown no mercy when it came to showing their word was no good, but this is an illegal business, what do you expect, a bunch of cowboys and boy scouts. We stab each other in the back, to position ourselves in the organization we work for in hopes that one day we would be the ones in control. We all had to bide our time, but in the last year I had become less and less patient. I had lost something precious to me and I wanted to punish the one who took it from me. I would torture this operative and enjoy every second of it.

Jose Escobar finally walks through the door and makes his way to me with an evil smile on his ugly mug. The waitress comes to take our order and as soon as she leaves Escobar looks me in the eye and says, "I have need for your services and you will be more than happy with your target. I hear that there are a team of Rangers in the area going after Rodriguez for his sex trade business and we need to put an end to them." I smile at him and nod my head. The US forces have done considerable damage to the organization I work for, but I'm most willing to put an end to any that may get me the target that I am directly aiming for. "I will pay you handsomely for eliminating them. This is a personal issue for me. There are several on that team that have made my life very difficult in the past and limited my income greatly." He passes me a sealed envelope that I stick in the inside pocket of my jacket. "I want this done quickly. I've given you the location of where they will be first thing tomorrow morning. Do it as quietly as possible, but make sure that it is lethal. If the entire team goes down, so much the better, there will be less for us to deal with next time."

"Who else knows about this?" I ask.

"The information that I have given you is known by the council, but there are others that would be glad to take action as well. I know of three other individuals that have received this information, but you are the most experienced. And I know that you are the most capable, that's why I approached you." says Escobar.

"What do you need as proof that the job has been completed?" I ask.

"No proof necessary. The arrival of Blaze will be enough. That is the second part of this job. I want her eliminated, and I want it to be painful. Ever since the arrival of Blaze the council has changed. No longer do we do what we want. There has been a shift that can not continue. We will make an example with these actions that no one is to step into our country and change our ways." Escobar says with a pure hate in his eyes.

"I agree with you. We have many in our organization that have conceded to the orders of Blaze and those of the US government. We must take action now and put an end to the intruders. I'll be more than happy to help, but monetary compensation is not enough. I want control of the organization I work for. I will take over the Gutierrez Cartel and wreak havoc on those that have bowed to the orders of others. When I finish this you will be coming to me only with information like this. I will be in control on the Cartels and I will make you a very rich man when we succeed." I state with a firm yet angry voice. "We will no longer allow outsiders into our country."

"Then we're agreed." Escobar agrees.

We finish dinner and he leaves after paying the bill. As I sit there, I begin to see my future ahead of me as the Head of what is currently known as the Gutierrez Cartel. It will only be a matter of days before this becomes a reality. Now is the perfect time to strike. Gutierrez is out of town with his family and the compound is fairly quiet. I can bring any captives to the compound and start to leave my trail for Blaze to come to their rescue and be eliminated. I can control the environment in which all of this takes place. I will make them all scream and beg for mercy before they meet their end, and I will enjoy every minute of it.

(Ranger Team Leader POV)

We were set up to do some last minute surveillance. We had received a tip that our target would be meeting with a distributor of his latest shipment this morning before the shipment was to be sent out in two days. After a quick discussion it was decided that two of the six of us would go do surveillance since it was an open area there was no need to expose all of us to unnecessary danger. Four would remain behind to gather our gear and be ready to move when we returned from our surveillance.

The intel had come from our local contact and he had been told that there was a new meet set up for ten am in the Center Square. We would be able to use our equipment to listen in on the plans and hopefully get more details of the shipment of girls that were to be exported in two days. This would be our last chance to save the girls since we had been unable to find their location as of yet. Arriving at the location of the meet I set myself up at a table at one of the cafés across the street from where they were scheduled to visit. As I look around I notice that there is quite a bit less traffic on the street than normal at this time of day, but other than that everything appears to be normal.

I see the target arrive by foot and sit at the table directly outside the door to the café with another man. We now had a clear view of the distributor. We would be able to eliminate him as well, once the girls had been found.

I was able to read their lips but it didn't appear that they were discussing business. This was more like a friendly lunch than business which was odd. I began to feel that something was wrong and decided to call off the surveillance and get the hell out of there. I stood to walk the direction that I came and gave the signal to leave. As I turn the next corner I feel a prick at my neck and my world goes black.

(Manny Benitez POV)

I had enjoyed the last two days immensely. Once I had captured the leader of the Ranger team I received the most surprising gift of my life. Fate had smiled on me and delivered my ultimate payback and ticket to get Gutierrez off his throne as it is long overdue. The minute he sold out to the Americans and our government was the minute someone should have put a bullet between his eyes. But that would be too easy for him. I want him to suffer. I want to see the satisfaction in his eyes when he sees the one person that he has been after for the last five years gifted to him and then taken away.

Carlos Manoso had been a major thorn in all of the Cartels sides for many years, but to Gutierrez, he was his worst enemy. This man had killed Gutierrez's younger brother a number of years back. He was the only other living relative outside of his own young children. Gutierrez had sworn that he would never stop until Manoso's life had ended in as tragic a way as his brothers life. I was going to offer Manoso over on a silver platter to Gutierrez already bloodied and damaged, and then I would put the rest of my plan into action. Taking over the organization and eliminating all of those who would not be of use to me.

I was enjoying the physical work out I was getting by beating the man, stabbing him in places that hurt but would not kill while telling him that I would find his loved ones and torture and kill them.

"Manoso, you shouldn't have much longer to wait. Gutierrez will be returning home soon and then your life will be over. I look forward to seeing the look on his face as the life drains from your body. I will be greatly rewarded for bringing him the much sought after prize he has wanted for too many years, but has never been able to grab. Delivering you will make my name known among all of the Cartels and Trades in my country. Thank you for your help." I tell him with a smile on my face. The man has not said one word or made any kind of noise since he had first woken up from the tranquilizer dart. When he is hit there is barely a reaction on his face

I continue to punch his body making sure to never hit his face. I want there to be no question as to who he is when I bring him up to Gutierrez. When I start to tire I step back and admire my handy work and walk to the door, turning before I open it and shoot him with another tranquilizer dart and wait for him to lose consciousness. I leave the room to find out the arrival time of Gutierrez so I can plan out the details to take over the organization. I need to make sure that all of this takes place before Blaze arrives to assure my plans go as expected.

(Ranger's POV)

I wake up in a dark damp room with only my cargo pants on. My shirt, socks and shoes, as well as all weapons have been removed. I find that my ankles have been shackled together and secured to the floor and my arms have been cuffed together behind my back and secured to the wall with no room to play. Who ever this person was he meant business. There were no windows in this room and only one door that was closed. There was no light coming in from around the door frame.

In walks a man I have seen before but am unable to remember his name, no matter I don't need it to tell what his intentions are. "Manoso I'm glad to see that you are awake. I was hoping to have some fun this evening and it appears that this is my lucky day. I was told that there was a US Rangers team in our territory and was more than happy to make sure that those that dare enter our area be eliminated. There are many that would love to get their hands on you, but I got you first." He offers me an evil smile and sick little laugh. I guess he likes to hear himself talk.

"I plan to give you much pain, and I will enjoy every second of it and then I will repeat this on another once you are eliminated. That individual will receive a much different type of torture and pain than you. That type of torture will be the most enjoyable to me, but you will elevate my place in this organization. Yes, Gutierrez will be very pleased to hear that you have come to visit us." With that he began to punch me in my upper body. After a few minutes it looked like he was tiring so he wiped out a knife and stabbed me in the shoulder, then my right thigh, and then my left side, purposely missing anything life threatening. I received a few more punches to my chest before he started to walk away. His methods of beating me were not typically what I had experienced previously in positions such as these. I thought about the tracker located in my cargos and could only wait for either my team or the rescue team to extract me if I was not killed before hand. I felt another prick at my neck and then there was darkness.

This pattern continued for what seemed like four or five days. I was beaten and stabbed several times a day by the man whom I had remembered was Manny Benitez, one of Gutierrez top men. But the last time I had seen him he was still a low level man. I had heard he made his way through the organization rather quickly and had been close to being second in command until there was an altercation, which I had not been given the details of. It didn't really matter to me.

Today was the first time I was able to have some time to think after I woke up before the beatings would continue. Over the past two years I had often thought of my Babe and wondered how she was doing. The day that she came to me to ask for training I was so proud of her for taking charge of her life. She was finally letting go completely of the 'burg' expectations, not that she ever really followed it, but she blew it out of the water. I was more than willing to assist her in any way necessary and we all did. She surpassed all of my expectations and then surpassed the scores of the men who worked for me who had been in the military for many years. I was shocked to say the least, but so proud.

Then when she approached me for more training I was more than willing to give her whatever she wanted. I agreed that we could add some new skills to her training so that she still felt challenged and asked her what she had in mind. I never thought about what that would mean for me until I heard what it was she wanted. The more that she talked the more I became scared for her. This was not the Stephanie that I knew and loved. I could still see the person that I feel in love with but she had spread her wings and was flying on a path that she had chosen and I didn't necessarily agree with her choice.

When she finished telling me her ideas I couldn't get control of my emotions. Everyone thinks that I am a cold hearted bastard and I have no emotions, but their wrong. I have emotions just like everyone else; I just keep them to myself so that I don't have to be worried about being hurt myself. If I don't let anyone in they can't hurt me. Or at least that's what I told myself. When I answered her I had to keep my answer short for fear of releasing the anger and heart wrenching fear I had inside of me. I could tell that by telling her I wouldn't help her had hurt, but I wasn't trying to. I wanted to support her in the only was that I could at the time, by supporting her decision to find someone else to train her.

When she told me that she would be turning in her resignation my heart shattered. It felt like she thought that I had betrayed her by saying no to her. I can understand why she felt that way when I looked at her history with others, but it would have killed me to know that I was the cause of killing that light that was inside her that drew everyone to her, crazies and all. It was one of the things that I loved about her. I had tried to get up the courage to speak with her several times before her two weeks were up, but in all honesty I was a coward and took the easy way out. I volunteered for a job that would take me away from her for a year. The moment I stepped on the elevator and made eye contact with her I had wished I hadn't. I could see the disappointment in her eyes and I knew that I had lost her.

Looking back on my life there are many things that I would change, but meeting my Babe had made me a better man. The moment the doors on the elevator closed and broke our eye contact I was lost and had no hope that things could go back to the way they were between us, being able to center each other, being comforted by just a simple touch. Only thoughts of my Babe had kept me from crossing over that fine line from sanity to insanity with all of the evils that I had seen and I never wanted that for her. That is why I tried to stay away from her. Now with what seemed like the end coming I wished I could hold her just one more time and tell her exactly how I felt about her. But I realize that time has passed as my tormentor walks in the room with a sick looking smile on his face.

"Today is the day Manoso. Gutierrez will be here shortly and you will meet your end in just a bit. Do you have anything that you would like to say?" Benitez asks.

I remain silent and receive a series of punches to the torso. He steps back and then laughs. "I really am going to miss our times together. But I will get much enjoyment from seeing you die."

He unhooks my ankle shackles from the floor and then stands behind me to unhook my arms from the wall behind me. He urges me to stand which was difficult with my legs so closely held together but manageable in time and leads me into the main house and into a large office and kicks me in the back of the knee to make me take a kneeling position. From behind the desk Gurtierrez looks up with a pure look of hate on his face.

(Manny Benitez POV)

I had just heard that Gutierrez would be arriving this afternoon and decided that I would wait to visit my prisoner and bringing him up as soon as Gutierrez arrives. I was surprised that he had remained silent the entire time that he had been here. Nothing to show any sign of emotion crossed his face. I was getting the physical release from the workout but I was not completely satisfied by the reaction that I was getting. Maybe I had underestimated his determination and how strong he was mentally. No matter I would take my true pleasure in eliminating Blaze, soon enough.

I had been told that Gutierrez would be landing in about an hour on the property alone. Too bad I couldn't eliminate his family as well, but I had a contingency plan for them so they could wait. I know that word had gotten back to the Americans of their missing soldier and was happy to find they had yet to locate him. Once I was done with him his body would be dumped somewhere they could find him and send a message loud and clear that the Americans are to stay out of our territory. Their interference had gone on too long.

I hear a helicopter approaching as I walk to the cell where I was keeping Manoso. No one else on the grounds had any idea that he was here, but that would change shortly. I open the door to the cell, walk through, close and lock it behind me and turn to him.

"Today is the day Manoso. Gutierrez will be here shortly and you will meet your end in just a bit. Do you have anything that you would lie to say?" I ask. "I really am going to miss our times together. But I will get much enjoyment from seeing you die."

I punch him a few times for good measure before unhooking his ankle shackles from the floor and then stand behind him to unhook his arms from the wall. I can see the damage that I have done has made it difficult for him to stand and that makes my smile grow. I shove him toward the door and we make our way to the main house and into Gutierrez office and walk my hostage in the room halfway before kicking him in the back of his knee and he goes down in a kneeling position. I stand with my gun pointed at Manoso and look at Gutierrez who has just lifted his head to see what I have for him. There is the look of pure hatred on his face as he takes in Manoso's appearance.


	14. Chapter 14 Problems in Columbia Part II

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part II**

(Tank's POV)

Two days ago Ranger's handler had informed us that he had been captured on his mission and we needed to get him out. We had immediately jumped into action and left Trenton to bring back our brother. The entire Core Team and a few others we hand picked left within an hour of getting our information on where it was believed Ranger had been taken and we were going to do a bit of surveillance to confirm our suspicions. The information that we had on the location was not very extensive.

After spending the night last night watching from a distance and trying to get the timing of the guards shifts and their pattern of movement we had come up with a plan to extract Ranger. We were all in place around the property, focused mainly on the south end as it was the closest to the main house and we saw a helicopter land on the lawn and out stepped Gutierrez. He walked into the house with all of the confidence in the world and a smug look on his face. I was looking forward to wiping that look off his face. A few minutes later we saw some unexpected movement to the left and watched as our brother was walked to the house and in a side door. Since we now had visual contact we were a go for our mission.

"We are a go at two minutes before shift change." I whisper into my com link. "Time is currently five before change. Remember boys, get him out and let's go home. Take out anyone in the way."

I hear a round of 'sir' in my ear from my team mates. I can see the guards moving around the grounds and my trigger finger starts to get twitchy. Before I can give the 'go' order an angry voice comes across my com link, "Ranger Team Alpha, stand down. Kill code confirmation is AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo. Confirm receipt of code." I am stunned at first and then pissed as hell.

"Who the hell is this?" I couldn't stop myself.

The voice comes back again. "Confirm receipt of kill code AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo soldier."

Shit this was not happening. Our friend was just marched into his death and we were being ordered to stay here and do nothing. What kind of bull shit was the government trying to pull.

"I confirm receipt, but I don't work for the government anymore. I will not leave a man behind." My voice starts to rise above a whisper, but is laced with venom.

"Shut the fuck up Tank, I know who you work for. You will do as ordered. Keep you voice down before you blow yourself and your team up. There are security sensors that are hidden about 5 yards from where your heat signals are registering. Do not make any noise or further movements until you are given further instructions. Are we clear?" the voice asks.

Who the fuck is this person? What sensors, we hadn't found anything, this is complete bullshit. "On who's orders?" I sneer in the com link.

"General Stanton. Now shut up and keep your heads down. Hawk, Bones use your tranquilizer darts on any of your team that may see the need to disobey these orders. And do not move from your location until given that order. You will be able to hear what goes on inside through the com link."

I hear Hawk and Bones agree to the command with "Affirmative". What the hell is going on here? The next thing I see is a flare shot off in the air from high above the house shortly before a parachute opens and the outside lights of the house dim then are returned to their original brightness. What the fuck is going on here?

(Lester's POV)

As we sit outside waiting for our chance to get Ranger out of there I notice an incoming helicopter. I already know this is going to be Gutierrez. We had found out that he had been on vacation and was to be returning soon, we just didn't realize that it would be today. As the helicopter lands Gutierrez gets off with a smug look of satisfaction on his face. That look alone told me that he was responsible for Ranger's capture. Not that I had any doubts before, this man had been after Ranger since his brother had been killed in one of our previous missions. I planned on taking this guy down personally for this. I was glad to see that his family was not with him, we tried to avoid the deaths of innocents as much as possible, especially women and children.

We were all ready for the go ahead from Tank at the two minute mark when we hear a voice come over the com link and surprised us all or at least that is what I thought.

"Ranger Team Alpha, stand down. Kill code confirmation is AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo. Confirm receipt of code." What the fuck? There is no way this is happening.

I hear Tanks response "Who the hell is this?", and then I hear "Confirm receipt of kill code AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo soldier." from the voice. No way in hell was I walking away. The soldier in me took over and was ready to accept my orders but who ever this was, was going to pay dearly. "I confirm receipt, but I don't work for the government anymore. I will not leave a man behind."

"Shut the fuck up Tank, I know who you work for. You will do as ordered. Keep you voice down before you blow yourself and your team up. There are security sensors that are hidden about 5 yards north of where your heat signals are registering. Do not make any noise or further movements until you are given further instructions. Are we clear?" the voice asks.

"On who's orders?" I hear from Tank in an angry voice. None of us are happy about this new turn of events.

"General Stanton. Now shut up and keep your heads down. Hawk, Bones use your tranquilizer darts on any of your team that may see the need to disobey these orders. And do not move from your location until given that order. You will be able to hear what goes on inside through the com link."

I hear Hawk and Bones agree to the command with "Affirmative". What the hell is going on here? The next thing I see is a flare shot off in the air from high above the house shortly before a parachute opens and the outside lights of the house dim then are returned to their original brightness. What the fuck is going on here?

(Hawk's POV)

Waiting outside the compound of the Gutierrez Cartel I could tell that everyone was on edge. I know that I was not as surprised at the turn of events as most of the rest of our team. The conversation taking place in my ear between Tank and the unknown voice, or at least unknown to them was actually quite amusing and would have had me rolling on the floor laughing if the situations hadn't been as serious as it was. When the discussion of security sensors we hadn't been able to find was announced I stiffened in place ready to stay in my location until I knew they were deactivated. The smile on my face grew even wider when I was given orders to use my tranquilizer darts on any of the team that could put us at risk. I knew it wouldn't be necessary, but I responded with Bones at the same time with "Affirmative." Boy were things going to get interesting, especially when the team figured out who had just ordered them to stand down.

(Gutierrez POV)

The helicopter ride back to my house was uneventful and I felt a bit more relaxed then when I had left. Spending time with my family always helped me to center my mind. As I step out of the helicopter and walk to the house I have a feeling that the relaxation I had just had would be coming to an end very soon. I needed to make a few calls and then check in with my team and find out what had been happening since I last checked in with them. I make my way to my desk and sit down when only a few minutes later there is a heavy metal sound coming towards my office. I wonder who they found this time that had betrayed us. I hear the sounds getting louder, then entering my office followed by the sounds of a kick and someone hitting the floor. I take a deep breath before looking up. What I see before me is one of the most precious gift anyone could have given me, a goal of mine for many years since he had killed my brother. The only problem was that it was also my worst nightmare, because I couldn't do a thing to him, he was protected and I couldn't afford to take that chance no matter how much I wanted to.

"Manoso, you are very brave to come into my territory. Only it appears that your luck has run out on this visit." I could hear the venom in my own voice and hoped that he feared what he thought was going to come, but if I knew him the way I thought I did, there would no evidence of fear from him no matter what. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to see you in this position in front of me so I could see the life drain from you like my brother's drained from him. You took something from me that was very precious and you should pay dearly for this." I say staring straight at him with all the hate and anger for him that I have felt over the years. I now had to find out why he was here, before I could make any moves. Taking in his appearance Manoso has been beaten and stabbed multiple times.

Still staring at Manoso I ask my men in the room that have entered in the last few minutes, my second in command Garcia, Manny Benitez one of my upper level men and the now kneeling Manoso, "Who brought him here? And how long has he been held?"

Manny speaks, "I found him four days ago and brought him in. I wanted to offer him to you as a gift. He was careless with his awareness of his surroundings and I only had to use a tranquilizer dart." There seemed to be some smugness in his voice as he delivered his statement.

My eyes never waivered from Manoso, but I nod in acceptance of what has been said. "Garcia were you aware of his arrival or him being held here? Does anyone else know of his presence?"

"To my knowledge no one else knew he was here until he was walked across the grounds into the house just a short time ago. I had no knowledge that he had been brought here or I would have taken care of it." Garcia states flatly.

I nod in acceptance still glaring at Manoso. I let that information sink in for a few minutes before I respond. "You know you are a dead man, right?" This question directed at Manny. There is no time for him to respond because the next thing I hear is the flare signal going off outside the window of my office. Since I was still sitting at my desk I quickly reached under the space in front of me and hit the switch that will dim the outside lights and then turn it back to normal, which is the return signal.

I shake my head slightly knowing exactly what is coming and hoping that it will have a better outcome than what the current view of the situation should. Seeing Manny holding a gun to Manoso's head I walk around my desk and break eye contact with Manoso for the first time since I first realized he was there. "Garcia you know what to do. Manny stand down, I will not prevent what is coming your way. You knew what the consequences of your actions would be so you deserve what is about to happen." I see Garcia stand at parade rest and Manny still holding his weapon on Manoso. Thinking to myself 'I know this is going to cost me big time for having one of my men turn on me like this. I should have eliminated him at the last incident.' When I quickly think back to that incident I felt that his actions were that of the old school feelings towards women that he needed to get over, and that what had happened to him would be enough to change those views, but obviously that was not correct and I was going to pay dearly for that now.

Manny is stupid enough to open his mouth and speak, "Once I put a bullet in the four of you there will be no but me to answer to, no one will be able to touch me. My contacts will see to it. You've gone soft Gutierrez! You've bent to the wills of the outsiders and our country is being controlled by cowards, too bad for you that I have kill you before you see the old ways brought back." Before he say anything else Garcia is shot in the arm, and I am hit in the shoulder trying to jump out of the way. On my way down to the ground I see a flash of black move so quickly that I almost miss it.

The next thing I know there was a lot of grunting and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and a few cracks of what sounded like breaking bones. I wait until the sounds stop and look up. To see Manny on his stomach with his hands tied together behind his back and his head pulled back by his hair and knife at his throat, a figure in black with their knee in his back with their head next to his ear whispering something.

I look over to see Garcia getting up holding his arm with a smile on his face looking at the sight of Manny pinned to the ground. I turn to look at Manoso and his expression has not changed but he was looking directly at the pair on the ground only a few meters from where he was.

For the first time I hear the figure in black speak and it is directed towards Manny, "I shouldn't be surprised that you are the one responsible for this problem, however I would have thought that when I cut off you left testicle the last time we had a confrontation that you wouldn't challenge me again." I shiver at the malice in her voice and the reminder of what she did to him before. "You were warned that any attempt to harm those protected by me would be the end of you. You should have known that the night that you attempted to rape me. You underestimated me then and you did it again when you decided to challenge me now. I want to know who gave you the Rangers location and you will tell me now or I will cut off small pieces of you at a time rather than give you the quick end, even though you don't deserve it. Rico, you need to disarm the security sensors at the south end for 3 minutes. There is a Rangers team that will be joining us here in the office. Have one of your men lead them in and your men are to stand down with their weapons. The Rangers have orders to lower their weapons, but they will not give them up. Is that understood?" I meet her eyes and give her a nod of agreement.

"The sensors have been disarmed and will reset in 3 minutes. They can enter now Blaze." I pick up the phone, "At the south end there will be some visitor coming onto the property. Bring them to my office, you are to stand down with your weapons and allow them to retain theirs." At that instruction I hang up the phone.

(Ranger's POV)

Making eye contact with Gutierrez I could see the absolute hate he held for me. There was an evil smile that graced his lips at my appearance and I could see that he was enjoying the fact that you could see the damage that had been done to me. It was a few minutes before he spoke just looking at me and never breaking eye contact.

"Manoso, you are very brave to come into my territory. Only it appears that your luck has run out on this visit." I could hear the venom in his voice I new my end was coming and my team had not had a chance to get to me yet. He continues speaking, "You have no idea how long I have wanted to see you in this position in front of me so I could see the life drain from you like my brother's drained from him. You took something from me that was very precious and you should pay dearly for this." I was surprised by his words. Why did he just say should and not will? What is going on here?

His next words made more sense to me. I figured he would reward Benitez for handing me over to him. "Who brought him here? And how long has he been held?"

Manny speaks, "I found him four days ago and brought him in. I wanted to offer him to you as a gift. He was careless with his awareness of his surroundings and I only had to use a tranquilizer dart." There seemed to be some smugness in his voice as he delivered his statement. If he only knew ironic that statement he would be rolling on the floor laughing. How many times had I said that to Steph? She would never believe what had happened to me.

His eyes never waivered from mine, gives a slight nod then asks, "Garcia were you aware of his arrival or him being held here? Does anyone else know of his presence?" Now I was totally confused, why did it matter if others knew?

"To my knowledge no one else knew he was here until he was walked across the grounds into the house just a short time ago. I had no knowledge that he had been brought here or I would have taken care of it." Garcia states flatly. Now what the hell is going on? I know that his second in command would not have finished me off for him. Gutierrez wanted to finish me off for himself, I knew that for a fact.

Still holding eye contact glaring at me with what looked almost like pain in his eyes his next question threw me. "You know you are a dead man, right?" Even though he was looking straight at me it didn't seem as though this question was directed at me. There is no time for anyone to respond because the next thing I heard was a flare signal going off outside the window. I see Gutierrez move slightly and then shake his head slightly before he stands to round his desk.

For the first time Gutierrez drops eye contact with me. "Garcia you know what to do." At this statement I see Garcia out of the corner of my eye switch his stance to parade rest. "Manny stand down, I will not prevent what is coming you way. You knew what the consequences of your actions would be so you deserve what is about to happen." Manny still has his weapon trained at my head after Gutierrez order him to stand down. I think to myself, shit I'm in the middle of a fucking mutiny. And I used to think that Steph got herself into the shitty situations, good going Manoso, good going, I had to hold myself from rolling my eyes at my situation.

Manny speaks up, "Once I put a bullet in the four of you there will be no one but me to answer to." What the fuck, the guy is nuts and can't even count. There are only three of us in the room not including himself. He should be a wonderful leader for the Cartel I think to myself. "No one will be able to touch me. My contacts will see to it. You've gone soft Gutierrez! You've bent to the wills of the outsiders and our country is being controlled by cowards, too bad for you that I have kill you before you see the old ways brought back." What is he talking about the old ways? Before I have a chance to think any further all hell breaks loose and I drop to the floor in hopes of finding something to open my restraints on the floor around me. Manny shoots Garcia in the arm, and the I hear another shot and a loud thud as a body hits the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of black move so quickly that I almost miss it.

The next thing I know there was a lot of grunting and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and a few cracks of what sounded like breaking bones. I am still looking for something to free myself when I hear a very familiar voice that I had not heard in two year. I close my eyes tightly praying that I was wrong. When I open my eyes to see what had happened I see Manny on his stomach with his hands tied together behind his back and his head pulled back by his hair and knife at his throat, a figure in black with their knee in his back with their head next to his ear whispering something. Unfortunately the face was turned away from my sight on the other side of Manny's head so I couldn't confirm my worst fears.

Waiting for the figure in black to move I am able to maintain my blank face, and my heart beats rapidly against my chest, and I am honestly surprised that no one else in the room can hear it. I stare in the direction of the two people on the floor and catch my breath when I hear the voice again.

For the first time I see the figure in black and her attention is still towards Manny, "I shouldn't be surprised that you're the one responsible for this problem, however I would have thought that when I cut off you left testicle the last time we had a confrontation that you wouldn't challenge me again." I shiver at the malice in her voice and the thought of what he could have done to her to cause the use of such tactics. "You were warned that any attempt to harm those protected by me would be the end of you. You should have known that the night that you attempted to rape me." At those words anger boiled up in me that I had only experience when she was in danger. "You underestimated me then and you did it again when you decided to challenge now. I want to know who gave you the Rangers location and you will tell me now or I will cut off small pieces of you at a time rather than give you a quick end, even though you don't deserve it." Even though her words were cruel and threatening I can't remember a time she has looked more beautiful. She was in complete control of that man, but she was completely ignoring Gutierrez and Garcia who were still in the room with us. I knew this would be the end of both of us. That was until she spoke again. "Rico, you need to disarm the security sensors at the south end for 3 minutes. There is a Rangers team that will be joining us here in the office. Have one of your men lead them in and your men are to stand down with their weapons. The Rangers have orders to lower their weapons, but they will not give them up. Is that understood?" At first I was taken aback by her boldness, and then was in absolute shock by the response she received.

Meeting her eyes he offers a simple nod, "The sensors have been disarmed and will reset in 3 minutes. They can enter now Blaze" He picks up the phone, "At the south end there will be some visitor coming onto the property. Bring them to my office, you are to stand down with your weapons and allow them to retain theirs." And he hangs up. HOLY SHIT, my Babe was BLAZE? What the fuck is going on here?

**Hope everyone enjoyed this update. Where do you think they will all go from here? Ranger/Steph get together? Will he accept her as she is? Will the Merry Men accept her as she is? Let me know what you think. **


	15. Chapter 15 Problems in Columbia Part III

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part III**

(One Day Until D-Day)

I walked into the small conference room with the General waiting for me. He stood to shake my hand before we sat down. I was too angry to speak at first so I dropped the file I had been reading for the last hour on the helicopter and the more that I processed it the angrier I had gotten. At least half of this situation that we were in could have been avoided if not all of it if they had contacted me sooner.

"General Stanton" I say with a nod and a hand shake.

"Blaze" he returns with his hand shake.

"Before you give me all of the details of the original mission I want to know how our current problem could have happened. I gave you all of the information I had on the security system the minute the set up was complete." I state for the General.

"The handler for the original mission contacted the secondary team to complete the rescue mission, before I was informed of anything happening to our original team. This particular person did not have all of the necessary Intel on the location our hostage is being held. We were able to determine for a fact that he is being held at the Gutierrez compound. Who has him or how many know he is there we are unsure. The secondary team was given all of the information that the handler had at that time. They left and now we're unable to reach them to abort the rescue mission before they get killed themselves." state General Stanton. "Believe me; the handler is being dealt with for not following the chain of command in situations like this. I am not exactly sure what he was thinking."

"I would like to find out if he has a grudge against our operative who is being held or myself honestly. It is a well known fact that our men are under my protection in this region. They probably won't like hearing that once this is taken care of, but that's just too bad." I state.

"No I would assume that they will not be happy to hear that." He snickers. "As the information states that you were given, Manoso was taken three days ago and has been tracked to the Gutierrez compound via a tracker in his cargo pants. All other trackers in his clothing stopped functioning and we assume were destroyed that were on him. One member of the team that was with him to perform the surveillance was killed and the rest of the team were at a different location and have been extracted since their location was compromised. Our fear is that the information was given by someone in the Columbian government since this mission that they were on was a joint effort to complete." There was an icy quality in his voice at the thought of having been involved with a traitor.

"Any idea who the traitor might be? And how does the Columbian government want this handled if we find the person?" I ask.

"Their government wants the person detained, however they are not apposed to him arriving a bit damaged." A sinister smile crossed his face before he continues. "The person we believe to be the traitor is Jose Escobar, one of their high ranking officials. He has been making money for years on the side giving Intel to the Cartels of when raids were going to take place or if someone was in the sights of the military. He has gotten greedy and sloppy. There was a definite trail left behind for others, but there is no trail for this particular act."

"That doesn't surprise me. If the people that I'm thinking of are involved in this, then their reason is to punish and eliminate me. There would be no money changing hands, they would have free reign in the area and things would return to how they were before. There is a group there that has not accepted the new order of things and wants to return to the old ways. I am unsure whether Gutierrez is involved in this or not, I haven't been able to reach him today, but I don't want to go in with an opinion already formed and possibly make things worse." I comment to him.

He nods, "That's a good idea. Gutierrez was confirmed to be in the Caribbean with his family just a short time ago so we currently have no information as to whether he has any knowledge of this particular situation."

"Honestly, either way he will have to pay a price for any of his men taking part in this even if he had no prior knowledge of this. He knows how I work, and will understand. He will also want to punish anyone who thinks that they can double cross him. I have to say though I look forward to getting my hands on those who don't heed my warning of what would take place." I smile at the General.

"That sounds good. The second part is that we will need you to lead the rescue team to complete the original mission that the first team went in for. With your contacts you should have an easier time locating any girls before they are shipped out of Columbia. We want Rodriguez eliminated and his sex trade shut down permanently."

My eyes grow a bit wider at the name. "Pablo Rodriguez, is involved in a sex trade?" The General nods. "This is the first I'm hearing about this. I'm assuming that since his drug cartel was crumbling this was what his solution was?" The General nods again. "Any reason why I wasn't contacted about this original mission to begin with?"

"When this issue came to light you were dealing with problems for the Families here and were unavailable. Otherwise you would have been our first choice." He states to clarify his reason.

"Understood. Do you have any idea where the second team is currently? And who are the members of the rescue team, the file didn't list their names." The General winced at my questions. "Why do I have a feeling I am really not going to like the answer you're going to give me?"

"The rescue team is Ranger Team Alpha. You know most of them as the Rangeman Core Team. They left two days ago to do some recon before the extraction could take place, tonight." He said while looking me straight in the eye.

"WHAT? Un-fucking-believable!". I take a few calming breaths shaking my head to try and center myself before I respond. "Alright, I need the kill codes for the rescue mission and a jet to take me down there now. I'll parachute into the compound since that is the only way to get safely in when the sensors are active. And when I return I want to get my hands on the handler that screwed this up. If you find out that he has a grudge against myself, or any of these men, I want to know it and if there are any others down in Columbia that need to be dealt with as well."

"In this envelope is the kill code, the name of all the team members of Ranger Team Alpha and the names of people that you may need to look into while down there. Use your contacts to find anyone that is involved in the sex trade and put an end to it. Bring yourself and our men back safely." He passes me a large manila envelope across the table. "The plane is ready to leave immediately, and anything else that you may need down there will be supplied in short order. Good luck to you Blaze."

"Thank you General." I say shaking his hand, I walk out the door and head for the airstrip. This situation couldn't be any more FUBAR than it already was. How is it that all of my friends had gotten themselves into this mess unknowingly? This used to be what would happen to me. God, it's like all of our situations have been reversed, here I am going to save their asses for a change. While it feels good to be able to help them for a change I have this fear that I may not make it in time. I shake my head to get those thoughts out of my head. I have to stay focused and deal with the situation at hand, no looking at the 'what ifs' of this scenario. I am going to get them all out of this situation tonight. Boy, are they going to be surprised.

I stow my ready pack, shake hands with the pilot who also points out the extra equipment that was brought on board for me, then strap in for take off and we are in the air minutes later. I open the manila envelope the General gave me to go over all of the information and memorize it. I double check my ready pack and my jump pack and then start to go over the additional equipment.

The plane is one hour away from the drop point so I double check the information that I have. I was able to pull up satellite images of the Gutierrez compound and confirm the placement of the guards on the grounds and all in the positions that I know to be normal. I also see the heat signatures of six additional people outside the grounds of the compound which I now know to be Ranger Team Alpha. If I could contact them now I would do it in a heartbeat, but we are too far out for my com link to work. I will have to wait until just before I jump to contact them. Not the best option, but the only one I have at this point. I was also able to see that there was a helicopter in route to the compound that looked to be about forty minutes out. I did a silent prayer that my plan works and that my instincts have once again led me in the right direction. If they haven't there is a good possibility that we all might die today.

I quickly go over all of my gear and I hear from the pilot that we are 15 minute out from the drop point. I have everything that I need on me and get my com link, set to the same frequency as Ranger Team Alpha and make my first attempt to contact them. The sooner they are called of the better.

In a stern voice I announce, "Ranger Team Alpha, stand down. Kill code confirmation is AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo. Confirm receipt of code." I wait to see what type of response I get from them, I know they are not going to like this very much, but that's just too bad.

"Who the hell is this?" I hear Tank's voice come across the com link.

The only way that I know to get him to do as he's told is to treat him like a soldier; there is no time to waste. "Confirm receipt of kill code AlphaOscar1208TangoRomeo soldier."

"I confirm receipt, but I don't work for the government anymore. I will not leave a man behind." His voice starts to rise above a whisper, and is laced with venom. Oh boy are they not going to be happy. And when they find out who I am, they're going to want an explanation, but that will have to wait.

"Shut the fuck up Tank, I know who you work for. You will do as ordered. Keep you voice down before you blow yourself and your team up. There are security sensors that are hidden about 5 yards from where your heat signals are registering. Do not make any noise or further movements until you are given further instructions. Are we clear?" I ask in a no non-sense tone.

"On who's orders?" He sneers in the com link. What an ass, I swear if he talks to me like that after he finds out who this is I am going to wipe the floor with him. I get that his friend is in danger, but when I tell you that you missed the sensors and are going to get blown up just do as you are told moron.

"General Stanton. Now shut up and keep your heads down. Hawk, Bones use your tranquilizer darts on any of your team that may see the need to disobey these orders. And do not move from your location until given that order. You will be able to hear what goes on inside through the com link." The pilot gives me the go ahead for the jump and I open the hatch.

I hear Hawk and Bones give an "Affirmative" and think to myself they have to be enjoying what they're hearing. Those two have worked with me on some other missions and know who I am and what I do. Since the missions were all classified they were not allowed to share any of the information with their bosses, and I guess we will just have to see how the Core Team will take that. As soon as the words hit my ear I jump out of the plane and aim for the compound.

As I descend I take out my flare gun and shot away from my body with the flow of air and release a single flare shot off, signaling my arrival to the compound before releasing my chute. The outside lights dim and then return to their normal brightness to acknowledge receipt of the signal. Gliding down I guide my chute to the courtyard behind the house. Once I touch down I take two steps and release the chute from my pack never stopping my forward progress to the house. I quickly pass three guards that are now standing at parade rest and walk into the house to silently make my way toward the commotion in the office listening as I walk trying to figure out what is taking place in the room before I enter. Two other guards are passed also standing at parade rest and I nod at them in acknowledgement. As I listen to the conversation taking place, I can recognize Rico and two voices I know very well, one for good reasons and the other that I now know will not be among the living much longer.

Manny's voice is the first clear one that I hear, "Once I put a bullet in the four of you there will be no one but me to answer to, no one will be able to touch me. My contacts will see to it. You've gone soft Gutierrez! You've bent to the wills of the outsiders and our country is being controlled by cowards, too bad for you that I have to kill you before you see the old ways brought back." As I move to enter the room silently and slowly I hear two gun shots. As I quickly move toward the direction the shots were fired from I see Rico going down and I make contact with Manny. I quickly relieve him of his gun by snapping his right wrist and punching him in the nose. I roundhouse kick him in the back, punch him in the stomach then grabbing his head I bring it down to on my knee with all of my strength and I hear the beautiful sound of cracking. Releasing him I sweep his legs out from under him and he falls flat on his face while possibly receiving a dislocated knee. With every hit he grunts in pain, but does not scream, maybe he isn't as weak as I thought he was. As soon as he hits the floor I secure his hands behind his back. I pull his head back by his hair and pull out my large knife from my boot and put it up against his neck while I whisper in his ear, "You will pay dearly for what you've done and I will enjoy making you pay."

I raise my head from his ear and with as much malice as I could muster I state, "I shouldn't be surprised that you're the one responsible for this problem, however I would have thought that when I cut off you left testicle the last time we had a confrontation that you wouldn't challenge me again. You were warned that any attempt to harm those protected by me would be the end of you. You should have known that the night that you attempted to rape me. You underestimated me then and you did it again when you decided to challenge me now. I want to know who gave you the Rangers location and you will tell me now or I will cut off small pieces of you at a time rather than give you the quick end, even though you don't deserve it." I pause for a minute. "Rico, you need to disarm the security sensors at the south end for 3 minutes. There is a Rangers team that will be joining us here in the office. Have one of your men lead them in and your men are to stand down with their weapons. The Rangers have orders to lower their weapons, but they will not give them up. Is that understood?" I meet his eyes and see his nod of agreement.

"The sensors have been disarmed and will reset in 3 minutes. They can enter now Blaze." He picks up the phone, "At the south end there will be some visitor coming onto the property. Bring them to my office, you are to stand down with your weapons and allow them to retain theirs." At that instruction he hangs up the phone.

"Rico, have one of your men bring in my pack from the hall. I have all the medical supplies in there I'll need to stitch all of you up. How's the damage?" I ask him still holding the knife to Manny's throat.

"You should be able to patch me up without a problem. How about you Garcia?" he asks.

"A through and through, the guy's not that great or a shot." he says with a chuckle. "Blaze you certainly know how to make an entrance."

"Well what can I say; I had a goal and a target that was 'unaware of his surroundings." I snicker as I pull back on Manny's hair a bit harder and meet Ranger's eyes for the first time. "Garcia would you kindly release Ranger from his restraints and help him to the couch, it looks like he might need some help. Ranger please let him help you I can tend to your injuries in just a second." I see my pack being brought in and set down near the couch, Garcia nods in agreement and gets to work with the task I had requested. Ranger does not speak he just stares at me with that blank look and some emotion in his eyes that I can't understand.

I release Manny's hair and move to secure his feet together. I remove all weapons he has on him and then use my knife to remove his shirt and then his pants, just as a precaution against any hidden weapons, not that I thought he was that smart. I step away to retrieve a chair from over in the corner and bring it over to where Manny is still laying on the floor. "Stand up Manny." I order. He starts to move, but is not having much luck. I kick him in the ribs to prove that I have control and then bend over to assist him as little as possible until he is sitting in the chair with the back of the chair between his back and his arms. I secure him to the chair and around his torso and then do the same at his shins. I don't think he will be going anywhere until I let him. "Are you in pain Manny?" He just glares at me. "Don't worry if you're not now you will be shortly. Remember you have some information to give me." I turn my back to him and move over toward Ranger, but first opening my bag to retrieve some medical supplies. I notice that Rico and Garcia have moved off to a corner to talk in hushed tones. "Rico, Garcia, are you okay to hang on a few minutes before I remove any bullets and sew you up?" They both nod at me in acceptance and go back to their discussion.


	16. Chapter 16 Problems in Columbia Part IV

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part IV**

(Tank's POV)

The more the minutes pass the more frustrated I get. I am used to sitting still for surveillance, but knowing that this situation has just been taken out of my hands is almost too much. My friend is in there and now I have been told to take a back seat and wait by some ass wipe that just landed in the Gutierrez compound. Who the fuck is this person and exactly how do they plan to get Ranger out of there? There is no way one person can handle the amount of guards that have been seen in the compound during our surveillance. As I watch the figure I notice that the chute is released and let go. The figure is not large at all and just saunters into the doorway we have been watching, no weapon pulled. Have we just been double crossed? If I don't start to hear things through this com link shortly I will be going in there no matter what. Just as I think that I hear low voices in the distance through the link.

The first clear voice I hear says, "Once I put a bullet in the four of you there will be no one but me to answer to, no one will be able to touch me. My contacts will see to it. You've gone soft Gutierrez! You've bent to the wills of the outsiders and our country is being controlled by cowards, too bad for you that I have to kill you before you see the old ways brought back." The next thing I hear are gun shots followed shortly by grunts and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, along with some snaps and crunching that couldn't be anything but broken bones. Then there was nothing, utter silence and I felt like ice was flowing through my veins. Had we just lost our friend? The next voice I heard caused my heart to stop beating.

"You will pay dearly for what you've done and I will enjoy making you pay." Holy hell that was Steph's voice. What The Fuck? I look to my right and see Lester in the distance with his blank face on, but his eye slightly wider than normal. I guess he didn't know either. I try to calm myself as quickly as possible and focus on what is going on in that room. "I shouldn't be surprised that you are the one responsible for this problem, however I would have thought that when I cut off you left testicle the last time we had a confrontation that you wouldn't challenge me again. " Holy Shit. What is going on here? Why did she have to do that? "You were warned that any attempt to harm those protected by me would be the end of you. You should have known that the night that you attempted to rape me." A flash of red crossed my vision at her comment and I wanted to rip this person limb from limb when I got in there. "You underestimated me then and you did it again when you decided to challenge me now. I want to know who gave you the Rangers location and you will tell me now or I will cut off small pieces of you at a time rather than give you the quick end, even though you don't deserve it." A shiver ran through me at her words. I was very glad that I was not the one that she was threatening.

"Rico," I stiffen at her familiarity with Gutierrez, "you need to disarm the security sensors at the south end for 3 minutes. There is a Rangers team that will be joining us here in the office. Have one of your men lead them in and your men are to stand down with their weapons." Yeah like that is going to happen. "The Rangers have orders to lower their weapons, but they will not give them up. Is that understood?" Is she Fucking Crazy! No way will I stand down with my weapons when the enemy approaches me. How can she expect Gutierrez just to follow orders? Does she even know who she is dealing with here? The next thing that I hear shocks the hell out of me.

"The sensors have been disarmed and will reset in 3 minutes. They can enter now Blaze." What The Hell Is Going On Here! I hear something click and then hear, "At the south end there will be some visitor coming onto the property. Bring them to my office, you are to stand down with your weapons and allow them to retain theirs." At that instruction I hear another click. There is no way in hell that just happened. Did Gutierrez just take orders from her? I swear I am so fucking lost in this cluster fuck that I couldn't tell you the difference from my head and my ass.

Alright let's go with this. I trust Steph, but no way in hell do I trust any of Gutierrez's men. I stand and give the signal to my team to do the same and we walk to towards the house quickly with our hands close to our guns at our sides. We are met by one of Gutierrez's guard standing at parade rest with no weapons drawn. Interesting! He nods his head at us all, turns and leads us to the house. I notice as we get closer that all guards have changed their stance to parade rest. I look at Bobby and see that he has his blank face in place. I turn and look at Lester and notice that the twinkle in his eye is still there and a slight hint of a smile on his lips. Hawk and Bones have a smirk that was very evident on their faces. What is that about? I continue to listen to the conversation in my ear.

"Rico, have one of your men bring in my pack from the hall. I have all the medical supplies in there I will need to stitch all of you up. How's the damage?" Steph says to him. I still have not heard anything from Ranger. Was he hit with the shots we heard?

"You should be able to patch me up without a problem. How about you Garcia?" I heard Gutierrez answer. Okay so now I know who the men are in the room, but what about Ranger?

"A through and through, the guys not that great or a shot." I hear a response with a chuckle. "Blaze you certainly know how to make an entrance." For the first time the name registers in my brain, BLAZE. HOLY SHIT! My Little Girl, our Bombshell is Blaze? I grind my teeth thinking that she has major explaining to do.

"Well what can I say; I had a goal and a target that was 'unaware of his surroundings. Garcia would you kindly release Ranger from his restraints and help him to the couch, it looks like he might need some help." Okay at least I know that he is alive. Not that I thought she would allow for any other outcome if she went in there, but I feel a bit better at the moment, Even if I am surrounded by the enemy. "Ranger please let him help you I can tend to your injuries in just a second." I don't hear any kind of response from Ranger, but I am guessing that he is in shock. Tortured, thinking that you were a dead man, and then to find out that the woman you have been hiding from for the last two years has just saved your ass is probably hitting him pretty hard.

(Lester's POV)

The time seems to be passing very slowly and I find myself getting frustrated. Who the fuck is this person and exactly how do they plan to get Ranger out of there? There is no way one person can handle the amount of guards that have been seen in the compound during our surveillance. As I watch the figure I notice that the chute is released and let go. I watch as the person walk easily with no weapon pulled, and something hits me, I know that walk, the swing of those hips. What the hell is she doing here? Is she trying to get herself killed? I know she handles the US Families, but this is Fucking Columbia! They don't take kindly to outsiders, and especially not women. If I don't start to hear things through this com link shortly I will be going in there no matter what. Just as I think that I hear low voices in the distance through the link.

The first clear voice I hear says, "Once I put a bullet in the four of you there will be no one but me to answer to, no one will be able to touch me. My contacts will see to it. You've gone soft Gutierrez! You've bent to the wills of the outsiders and our country is being controlled by cowards, too bad for you that I have to kill you before you see the old ways brought back." The next thing I hear are gun shots followed shortly by grunts and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, along with some snaps and crunching that couldn't be anything but broken bones. Then there was nothing, utter silence and I felt like ice was flowing through my veins and fear gripped me. Had we just lost our friends? Had my Beautiful just been taken from me? The next voice I hear makes me want to smile the biggest smile ever, she's okay and I can't wait to hold her in my arms to assure myself of that fact.

"You will pay dearly for what you've done and I will enjoy making you pay." Holy Shit she sounds HOT! I look to my left and see Tank in the distance with his blank face on. I guess he didn't have a clue. I knew more than he did, but I never would have thought this. "I shouldn't be surprised that you are the one responsible for this problem, however I would have thought that when I cut off you left testicle the last time we had a confrontation that you wouldn't challenge me again." Holy Shit. What is going on here? Why did she have to do that? "You were warned that any attempt to harm those protected by me would be the end of you." Protected by her? What is that supposed to mean? "You should have known that the night that you attempted to rape me." A flash of red crossed my vision, whoever it is she is talking to will be dead by my hand shortly. No one tries to hurt my Beautiful and gets away with it. "You underestimated me then and you did it again when you decided to challenge me now. I want to know who gave you the Rangers location and you will tell me now or I will cut off small pieces of you at a time rather than give you the quick end, even though you don't deserve it." A shiver ran through me at her words. I can't get over how turned on I am right at this moment hearing her speak this way.

"Rico," I stiffen slightly at her familiarity with Gutierrez, "you need to disarm the security sensors at the south end for 3 minutes. There is a Rangers team that will be joining us here in the office. Have one of your men lead them in and your men are to stand down with their weapons." Ha, leave it to Beautiful to have the Head of a major Drug Cartel eating out of the palm of her hand. "The Rangers have orders to lower their weapons, but they will not give them up. Is that understood?" Oh Boy! This won't go over well with the others. No way will they all stand down with weapons when the enemy approaches. The next thing that I hear should have shocked the hell out of me, but this was Beautiful here.

"The sensors have been disarmed and will reset in 3 minutes. They can enter now Blaze." Well that explains a lot. BLAZE, Beautiful Is Blaze. Holy Fucking Shit. I laugh internally to myself. Things should get interesting now. I hear something click and then hear, "At the south end there will be some visitor coming onto the property. Bring them to my office, you are to stand down with your weapons and allow them to retain theirs." At that instruction I hear another click. Ha ha, oh Beautiful you have some explaining to do. The look on Tanks face if you didn't know him would give nothing away, but the surprise and tension that was radiating off of him was very obvious to me.

Alright here we go, I trust Steph, but there is no way in hell that I trust any of Gutierrez's men. I stand after getting the signal from Tank and we all walk to towards the house quickly with our hands close to our guns at our sides. We are met by one of Gutierrez's guard standing at parade rest with no weapons drawn. Interesting! He nods his head at us all, turns and leads us to the house. I notice as we get closer that all guards have changed their stance to parade rest. Wow! I look at Bobby and see that he has his blank face in place. I turn and look at Tank and notice that he is wearing his blank face, but there are so very many questions in his eyes. Hawk and Bones have a smirk that was very evident on their faces. I guess they knew what was going on? I continue to listen to the conversation in my ear.

"Rico, have one of your men bring in my pack from the hall. I have all the medical supplies in there I will need to stitch all of you up. How's the damage?" Steph says to him. Who exactly is she going to be patching up?

"You should be able to patch me up without a problem. How about you Garcia?" I heard Gutierrez answer. Okay so now I know who the men are in the room, but what about Ranger?

"A through and through, the guys not that great or a shot." I hear a response with a chuckle. "Blaze you certainly know how to make an entrance." No Fucking Kidding! If they only knew how she had surprised us before she went in there.

"Well what can I say; I had a goal and a target that was 'unaware of his surroundings.' Garcia would you kindly release Ranger from his restraints and help him to the couch, it looks like he might need some help." Okay, Ranger's alive, not that I thought she would allow for any other outcome if she went in there, but I feel a bit better at the moment, Even if I am surrounded by the enemy. "Ranger please let him help you I can tend to your injuries in just a second." I don't hear any kind of response from Ranger, guess he's in shock. Once he does start talking things should get even more interesting. Wonder how he will react to the new Stephanie?

(Bobby's POV)

Now I completely feel left out of the loop. I am utterly confused. Bombshell is BLAZE? When did that happen? How did that happen? When did she learn how to take care of removing bullets? How was she able to get Gutierrez to do as she told him? Is this even the same person that we saw just a few weeks ago? She is acting like her and Gutierrez are the best of friends, and she is joking around with Garcia, the second in command of a Drug Cartel. What the fuck is that all about? Can we trust her? I've known Steph for a long time now, but this is a bit hard to believe. The look on Tanks face tells me that he had no clue as to what was going on, but Lester has that twinkle in his eye. Did he know about this? If he did, how come he didn't say anything? Hawk and Bones both look as though the cat at the canary! They must have known about this and kept it to themselves. How out of all the people in Rangeman did they know what was going on? She wasn't even that close to them before she left. There is so much that I don't understand, but I guess that I will have to be patient. Not one of my more notable qualities when it comes to Steph. I love her to death, but this is just a little more than my brain can handle at this moment. I keep my blank face on as we walk into the office we were led to and make eye contact with her. I can tell she knows we have a lot of questions for her and she smiles at us. I feel a little more relaxed at that.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

"I need to see what kind of damage was done." I tell Ranger as I start to look over his body that is covered in bruises but only on his torso, his face was left completely untouched. I feel his head for any bumps asking, "Do you have any pain in your head?" He shakes his head but doesn't speak. I pull out some wipes to clean the dirt from his upper body and all he does is stare at me. His eyes have not left my face since we first made eye contact. I was finally able to get his upper body cleaned up and I look at the damage, which actually does not seem as bad as I thought it would. I saw a few knife wounds that had not hit anything life threatening but were still deep enough to cause pain. I look up into his eyes and see that he is still staring at me, "I need to give you an antibiotic shot to help with the infection in some of the knife wounds. I am going to give you an injection alright?" I ask not knowing what he thinks is going on right now. He hesitates at first then nods. "If you would prefer Bobby will be here in a minute and I am sure that he has his medical supplies to take care of you. Would you like to wait?" I ask him but not knowing what to hope his response would be. After a moment I get the shake of his head, and let out the breath I held waiting for his response. Good he still trusted me or at least with taking care of his medical needs. I gave him the injection and a moment later the Core Team walks through the office door with their blank faces in place, but I can see the worry in their eyes.

"Bobby, would you come over here and help me. Ranger has at least four stab wounds to the upper body that I have found so far and I haven't gotten to the bloody area on his pant legs yet. Did you bring a change of clothes for him?"

"Yes, Blaze." he says with a flat voice and his blank face. I can see the questions in his eyes. I nod and then stand up and look at the rest of the Ranger Team. Tank and Lester look at me with the same expression that Bobby had, only Lester has a twinkle in his eye. Hawk and Bones have small smirks on their faces I knew they were enjoying the conversations that they had heard.

I address Hawk and Bones first, "Okay you guys get the smirks off your faces. Yes, you knew something they didn't get over it." I say with a smile and they snicker at my comment. I turn to Tank, "Big guy, you better never talk to me again like you did a bit ago or I will kick your ass. Since when do you ask someone with the correct codes 'who the hell is this?'." I say with a smile and then go to give him a hug. I whisper in his ear when he bends over to me and say, "I knew you were concerned about leaving a man behind, but believe me that would never happen. I don't leave anyone behind, family or not." When he releases me he smiles and nods his head. I turn to Lester, "You were actually able to keep your mouth shut while listening to the conversation. I'm glad to know that Mr. Loud Mouth Ladies Man knows how to bite his tongue." I tease him. I give him a hug and kiss then whisper, "I know you figured some of this out before, you shouldn't be that surprised." I step back and see the shit eatin grin on his face.

"I suspected, but that was about it." Lester stated.

Bobby continued to clean Ranger up and I turned back to see that his attention was still on me. "I know you have questions, but I don't have time to explain now. We still have a job to finish. And I need to get some information out of the ass wipe over there. So they'll have to wait." He says nothing and just stares at me.

"Okay boys I need to get back to work, why don't you go over by Ranger and Bobby. All of Rico's men know that you are not to be touched so you can relax a bit. I know that doesn't make you feel all that comfortable, but if you trust me you know that I would never put any of you in harms way intentionally. By the way, your welcome for keeping you from blowing yourselves up, that would have been very messy, and I like my friends in one piece." I say with a smile and walk over to Rico and Garcia.

As I approach Rico and Garcia they continued to talk but opened their bodies to me to let me know they weren't hiding anything. "Rico, you had no knowledge of what was going on here with Manny?" I ask in a flat voice.

"None, I was in the Caribbean with Maricela and the kids until just over 3 hours ago. I arrived here about twenty minutes before you did. I flew back because I heard there were some things with Rodriguez that might cause problems for us to get more information before I called you. I left right after our last check in." I nod at his statement.

"I heard what he said before the gun went off and I want to know who his contact is that gives him his information and protection. The problem is that you know this still looks bad for you and there will be consequences for the betrayal that fall on you." I say to him.

"I understand. You will have no problems with me and everything is at your disposal as usual. He must be made an example of." Rico states.

"Would you like to offer some punishment of your own on him? I plan to make him suffer while I get my information. He doesn't deserve a quick death for what he has attempted to do. There are more traitors in the mix here and I need to get some confirmation of who they are." I turn to face Manny and see that he is staring daggers at me. "You know that face of your could really use some work, Manny. Should I start there, or should I cut something off first? Do you have a preference?" I ask him sweetly.

I hear Rico and Garcia laugh slightly behind me. "I won't tell you anything bitch." Manny yells at me. I shake my head with a smile.

"Oh Manny, such language, if you only knew what I knew you wouldn't say that." I shake my head at him again. "Bobby, how many stab wounds does Ranger have in all and where are they located?" I ask while still looking at Manny and see his eyes widen slightly.

"Blaze, Ranger has seven stab wounds to the torso that spread from his arms to his chest and stomach, then another five between both legs." He states with anger in his voice.

"Alright then, we'll start there. How does that sound Manny?" I ask him while taking a step closer to him.

"You want to kill me to much to torture me for long. I'll be dead before you get anything from me." He says to me.

"Oh really, is that a challenge Manny, or should I call you 'One Nut'. Because I certainly showed a good amount of restraint when I cut off your left nut the last time you challenged me. Didn't I Garcia? I bet you remember what I wanted to do but what I actually did to him." I say with a slow smile remember what I thought about doing to him. I see a look of hate flash on his face before he tried to put on his blank face.

"Yes Blaze I remember quite well. As a matter of fact I believe that we suggested that you do more to him than you did, but you refused." stated Garcia.

I take another step closer to Manny holding up my knife and looking at it. "Ah, yes that's right; you all had some interesting ideas on what you thought I should do. Well maybe I'll take advantage of some of that creativity tonight. It might make things interesting." I advance on him and stab him twice, once in the leg and the other in the opposite arm and add a little twist to add some extra pain. Both stab wounds cause him to whimper from the pain. I then take my knife and wipe it on his leg to clean off some of the blood. I then advance on him again and stab the opposite arm and then that same side in his abdomen again making sure to twist as I remove it, yet again wiping my knife on his leg. These stabs also caused whimpers, I look at him and wait for him to catch his breath the best he could and ask, "Who is the contact that gave you the Rangers location?"

He looks up to meet my eyes and says, "Someone you can't touch. He'll just keep coming after you."

I stab another two times once in the shoulder and the other in the leg. "You don't know who I can and can't touch there Manny. Now how do you know him?" Depending on his response I would know who gave him the information.

"Someone who thought I was the best to handle the situation." At that I laughed, and laughed hard. I knew he couldn't stand being laughed at. He was a typical male that had to be in control of everything, attacking his ego as with most males would be his downfall.

"Oh that's rich. You? He thought you were the best? Oh come on, give me a break. Although I did need a good laugh, so I thank you for that." I say looking at him with a big smile on my face waiting a minute before I continue. "I mean come on, look at where you are now. This is the best you could do? Gee, I'd hate to see the other options he had to choose from in an attempt to eliminate me if he chose you. They must really suck, which means his options are limited."

"You have no right to come here and change our ways of doing things. You have ruined the lives of many in your effort to change our ways. He used to be in control and now since he is in the minority, he's had to change his lifestyle and his family is suffering. He shouldn't have to answer to a woman, none of us should. You are less than us." He screams at me.

"Well if I am less than you I find it interesting that you are still sitting in that chair tied up in nothing but your underwear bleeding while I stand here holding the knife and not a single scratch on me. Does that fit your view of our places in society? Because from where I stand I have the upper-hand on you and I don't see that changing anytime soon." I say to him as I stab him another three times, one in the opposite shoulder, side of the torso and another in the leg. At the last comment and the stabs he screams like I knew he would, just as he gives me the information that I need to know.

"Escobar will never let you have control over him. He will keep coming after you until you're eliminated. The old ways will come back whether I am the one to make it happen or not." I see Manny writhing in pain and I have not even finished with him yet.

"Well I have to say thank you for confirming what I already knew, that was much easier than I expected it to be. You know, you kind of took the fun out of it giving up so easily, what happened to 'you aren't going to get anything out of me?' like you said earlier? Did you forget, or are you that big of a pansy that you give in after a few stab wounds. I'm disappointed that you didn't even wait for the rest of your manhood to be taken away from you, you just gave it up instead." I snicker and hear barks of laughter from Rico and Garcia behind me.

I look at them and whine, "I really wanted to be the one to take it from him, but he was in to big a hurry to give it up. I'm hoping that losing one nut before by my hand helped in the fall, but I don't think so. I think he was lacking in the manhood department anyway. Considering, in order to get women to sleep with him he has to force himself on them." They laugh at that.

I look over at the Rangeman guys and see the blank looks on their faces but they are looking at Manny this time, with the exception of Ranger who is still looking at me. I smile at him and see his eye widen just slightly, that if you didn't know him well enough you would have missed it completely.

I turn back to Rico and Garcia. "Well since he shot you both, would you like to do some damage? I got what I needed from him. I can stitch up one of you while the other works him over if you like."

"I would love to have a shot at the ass hole. I was on a good run for not getting shot in the last nine months and he went and ruined it." Garcia states as he walks over to Manny. I laugh at that.

"Alright just let me take a look at your arm first." He moves over to me so I can examine him. With a quick look I pat him on the shoulder and tell him to have fun. I walk over to Rico and look at his shoulder.

"The bullet's still in there. I need to get it out, so I need to have you move over to the other couch and I can get to work, just let me get some supplies and I'll get you fixed up good as new." I move to my bag over by the guys and see that they are starting to run out of patience. I smile at them and say, "Rico is the room I use and the guest room next to it available for tonight? I am actually not quite sure how long we will be here since our job isn't over yet." At the comment of spending the night the guys stiffen. I can understand that feeling, but I know that they won't be harmed, but it will be difficult to get them to accept it, but at this time there is no other place we can go.

"Yes and the security pad for your room is still set for your code. You can set up the adjoining room the same and my men will stand down in that area." I notice the guys all staring at me.

"Perfect. Thank you." I look at the guys and start to explain as I set up my supplies and begin to take care of removing the bullet. "I set up Rico's security system when his organization became the number one Drug Cartel in Columbia. Rico has been helping to settle disputes among the different groups over territory and product and we have been able to prevent the number of full out battles and loss of innocents in the crossfire. What I do here is similar to what I do with the Families in the US. However here the need to use more aggressive negotiations happens more frequently than at home, but over the last year there have been great strides made to calm things down. At first there were many that fought the idea of an outsider coming in and organizing the ciaos that they were so familiar with. But slowly things have changed and now here in Columbia US Special Forces have not been needed as often."


	17. Chapter 17 Problems in COlumbia Part V

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part V**

(Steph/Blaze POV)

"I need to see what kind of damage was done." I tell Ranger as I start to look over his body that is covered in bruises but only on his torso, his face was left completely untouched. I feel his head for any bumps asking, "Do you have any pain in your head?" He shakes his head but doesn't speak. I pull out some wipes to clean the dirt from his upper body and all he does is stare at me. His eyes have not left my face since we first made eye contact. I was finally able to get his upper body cleaned up and look at the damage, which actually doesn't seem as bad as I thought it would. I saw a few knife wounds that had not hit anything life threatening but were still deep enough to cause pain. I look up into his eyes and see that he is still staring at me, "I need to give you antibiotics to help with the infection in some of the knife wounds. I am going to give you an injection alright?" I ask not knowing what he thinks is going on right now. He hesitates at first then nods. "If you would prefer, Bobby will be here in a minute and I am sure that he has his medical supplies to take care of you. Would you like to wait?" I ask him but not knowing what to hope his response would be. After a moment I get the shake of his head, and let out the breath I held waiting for his response. Good he still trusted me or at least with taking care of his medical needs. I gave him the injection and a moment later the Core Team walk through the office door with their blank faces in place, but I can see the worry in their eyes.

"Bobby, would you come over here and help me. Ranger has at least four stab wounds to the upper body and I haven't gotten to the bloody area on his pant legs yet. Did you bring a change of clothes for him?"

"Yes, Blaze." he says with a flat voice and his blank face. I can see the questions in his eyes. I nod and then stand up and look at the rest of the Ranger Team. Tank and Lester look at me with the same expression that Bobby had, only Lester has a twinkle in his eye. Hawk and Bones have small smirks on their faces I knew they were enjoying the conversations that they had heard.

I address Hawk and Bones first, "Okay you guys get the smirks off your faces. Yes, you knew something they didn't get over it." I say with a smile and they snicker at my comment. I turn to Tank, "Big guy, you better never talk to me again like you did a bit ago or I will kick your ass. Since when do you ask someone with the correct codes 'who the hell is this?'." I say with a smile and then go to give him a hug. I whisper in his ear when he bends over to me and say, "I knew you were concerned about leaving a man behind, but believe me that would never happen. I don't leave anyone behind, family or not." When he released me he smiles and nods his head. I turn to Lester, "You were actually able to keep your mouth shut while listening to the conversation. I'm glad to know that Mr. Loud Mouth Ladies Man knows how to bite his tongue." I tease him. I give him a hug and kiss then whisper, "I know you figured some of this out before, you shouldn't be that surprised." I step back and see the shit eatin grin on his face.

"I suspected, but that was about it." Lester stated.

Bobby continued to clean Ranger up and I turned back to see that his attention was still on me. "I know you have questions, but I don't have time to explain now. We still have a job to finish. And I need to get some information out of the ass wipe over there. So they'll have to wait." He says nothing and just stared at me.

"Okay boys I need to get back to work, why don't you go over by Ranger and Bobby. All of Rico's men know that you are not to be touched so you can relax a bit. I know that doesn't make you feel all that comfortable, but if you trust me you know that I would never put any of you in harms way intentionally. By the way, your welcome for keeping you from blowing yourselves up, that would have been very messy, and I like my friends in one piece." I say with a smile and walk over to Rico and Garcia.

As I approach Rico and Garcia they continued to talk but opened their stance to me letting me know they weren't hiding anything. "Rico, you had no knowledge of what was going on here with Manny?" I ask in a flat voice.

"None, I was in the Caribbean with Maricela and the kids until just over 3 hours ago. I arrived here about twenty minutes before you did. I flew back because I heard there were something's with Rodriguez that might cause problems for us to get more information before I called you. I left right after our last check in." I nod at his statement.

"I heard what he said before the gun went off and I want to know who his contact is that gives him his information and protection. The problem is that you know this still looks bad for you and there will be consequences for the betrayal that fall on you." I say to him.

"I understand. You will have no problems with me and everything is at your disposal as usual. He must be made an example of." Rico stated.

"Would you like to implement some punishment of your own on him? I plan to make him suffer while I get my information. He doesn't deserve a quick death for what he has attempted to do. There are more traitors in the mix here and I need to get some confirmation of who they are. Once I get my information he is all your." I turn to face Manny and see that he is staring daggers at me. "You know that face of your could really use some work, Manny. Should I start there, or should I cut something off first? Do you have a preference?" I ask him sweetly.

I hear Rico and Garcia laugh slightly behind me. "I won't tell you anything bitch." Manny yells at me. I shake my head with a smile.

"Oh Manny, such language, if you only knew what I knew you wouldn't say that." I shake my head at him again. "Bobby, how many stab wounds does Ranger have in all and where are they located?" I ask while still looking at Manny and see his eyes widen slightly.

"Blaze, Ranger has seven stab wounds to the torso that spread from his arms to his chest and stomach, then another five between both legs." He states with anger in his voice.

"Alright then, we'll start there. How does that sound Manny?" I ask him while taking a step closer to him.

"You want to kill me to much to torture me for long. I'll be dead before you get anything from me." He says to me.

"Oh really, is that a challenge Manny, or should I call you 'One Nut'. Because I certainly showed a good amount of restraint when I cut off your left nut the last time you challenged me. Didn't I Garcia? I bet you remember what I wanted to do compared to what I actually did." I say with a slow smile remembering what I thought about doing to him. I see a look of hate flash on his face before he tried to put on his blank face.

"Yes Blaze I remember quite well. As a matter of fact I believe that we suggested that you do more to him than you did, but you refused." stated Garcia.

I take another step closer to Manny holding up my knife and looking at it. "Ah, yes that's right; you all had some intriguing ideas on what you thought I should do. Well, maybe I'll take advantage of some of that creativity tonight. It might make things interesting." I advance on him and stab him twice, once in the leg and the other in the opposite arm and add a little twist to add some extra pain, and then punch him in the face for good measure. Both stab wounds cause him to whimper from the pain. I then take my knife and wipe it on his leg to clean off some of the blood. I then advance on him again and stab the opposite arm and then that same side again making sure to twist as I remove it, yet again wiping my knife on his leg, then add a punch to his gut. These stabs also caused whimpers, I look at him and wait for him to catch his breath the best he could and ask, "Who is the contact that gave you the Rangers location?"

He looks up to meet my eyes and says, "Someone you can't touch. He'll just keep coming after you."

I stab another two times once in the shoulder and the other in the leg. "You don't know who I can and can't touch there Manny." I round house kick him in the head and he looses consciousness. This actually angers me. I walk over to my bag and get an ammonia capsule and snap it directly under his nose and he comes to almost immediately. "Now how do you know him?" Depending on his response I would know who gave him the information.

"Someone who thought I was the best to handle the situation." At that I laughed, and laughed hard, so hard in fact I had to brace myself on my knees. I knew he couldn't stand being laughed at. He was a typical male that had to be in control of everything, attacking his ego as with most males would be his downfall.

"Oh that is rich. You?" I pause before continuing. "He thought you were the best? Oh come on, give me a break. Although I did need a good laugh, so I thank you for that." I say looking at him with a big smile on my face. "I mean come on, look where you are now. This is the best you could do? Gee, I'd hate to see the other options he had to choose from in an attempt to eliminate me if he chose you. They must really suck, which means his options are limited."

"You have no right to come here and change our ways of doing things. You have ruined the lives of many with your efforts. He used to be in control and now since he is in the minority, he's had to change his lifestyle and his family is suffering. He shouldn't have to answer to a woman, none of us should. You are less than us." He screams at me. At that I kick him in the stomach and the chair falls backwards right on his arms and you could hear the crack of one or both his arms as the chair with all of his weight land on them. As this happens he lets out a howl of pain.

"Well if I'm less than you I find it interesting that you are still sitting, well rather laying, in that chair tied up in nothing but your underwear bleeding while I stand here holding the knife and there is not a single scratch on me. Does that fit your view of our places in society? Because from where I stand I have the upper-hand and I don't see that changing anytime soon." I say to him as I stab him another three times, one in the opposite shoulder, side of the torso and another in the leg. At the last comment and the stabs he screams like I knew he would, just as he gives me the information that I need to know.

"Escobar will never let you have control over him. He will keep coming after you until you're eliminated. The old ways will come back whether I am the one to make it happen or not." I see Manny writhing in pain and I hadn't even done all that I wanted to with him yet. Damn.

"Well I have to say thank you for confirming what I already knew, that was much easier than I expected it to be. You know you kind of took the fun out of it giving up so easily, what happened to 'you aren't going to get anything out of me?' like you said earlier? Did you forget, or are you that big of a pansy that you give in after a few stab wounds. I'm disappointed that you didn't even wait for the rest of your manhood to be taken away from you, you just gave it up instead." I snicker and hear barks of laughter from Rico and Garcia behind me.

I look at them and whine, "I really wanted to be the one to take it from him, but he was in too big a hurry to give it up. I'm hoping that losing one nut before by my hand helped in the fall, but I don't think so. I think he was lacking in the manhood department anyway. Considering, in order to get women to sleep with him he has to force himself on them." They laugh at that.

I look over at the Rangeman guys and see the blank looks on their faces but they are looking at Manny this time, with the exception of Ranger who is still looking at me. I smile at him and see his eyes widen just slightly, that if you didn't know him well enough you would have missed it completely.

I turn back to Rico and Garcia. "Well since he shot you both, would you like to do some damage? I got what I needed from him. I can stitch up one of you while the other works him over if you like."

"I would love to have a shot at the ass hole. I was on a good run for not getting shot in the last nine months and he went and ruined it." Garcia states as he walks over to Manny. I laugh at that.

"Alright, just let me take a look at your arm first." He moves over to me so I can examine him. With a quick look I pat him on the shoulder and tell him to have fun. I receive a kiss on the head and a smile of thanks in return. I walk over to Rico and look at his shoulder.

"The bullet's still in there. I need to get it out, so I need to have you move over to the other couch and I can get to work, just let me get some supplies and I'll get you fixed up good as new." I move to my bag over by the guys and see that they are starting to run out of patience. I smile at them and say, "Rico, is the room I use and the guest room next to it available for tonight? I'm actually not quite sure how long we will be here since our job isn't over yet." At the comment of spending the night the guys stiffen. I can understand that feeling, but I know that they won't be harmed, but it will be difficult to get them to accept it, but at this time there is no other place we can go.

"Yes and the security pad for your room is set as you left it. You can set up the adjoining room the same and my men will stand down in that area." I notice the guys all staring at me.

"Perfect. Thank you." I look at the guys and start to explain as I set up my supplies and begin to take care of removing the bullet. "I set up Rico's security system when his organization became the number one Drug Cartel in Columbia. Rico has been helping to settle disputes among the different groups over territory and product and we have been able to prevent the number of full out battles and loss of innocents in the crossfire. What I do here is similar to what I do with the Families in the US. However here the need to use more aggressive negotiations happens more frequently than at home, but over the last year there have been great strides made to calm things down. At first there were many that fought the idea of an outsider coming in and organizing the ciaos that they were so familiar with. But slowly things have changed and now here in Columbia, US Special Forces have not been needed as often." I see a look of surprise cross all of their faces including Ranger. So, I decide to continue with the explanation, "The Columbian Government, well most of it anyway, was more than willing to bring in help to prevent the wars that were taking place. Especially after they saw the numbers dropping in the US, a few of my contacts there are well connected here in Columbia and the US had been after my assistance since I took the position with the Families. All things considered I think things have gone relatively smoothly." At that I hear Rico chuckle.

"I wouldn't quite go so far as to say smoothly. Some of the damage that was caused by your arrival was worse than what had been taking place before your arrival. I remember a certain bomb exploding and taking out more than a 2 mile radius." Rico says with humor in his voice.

I turn to see the eyes on the guys widen. "Just so you know I was the one that made and set off that bomb. I was not the target. Things have changed, and by quite a bit." I see them relax slightly. "Anyway, if you remember Rico, there were no fatalities in that bombing. It was property damage. I made sure the area was clear first. That is more than I can say for most of the organizations here." I give him a pointed look and wait for his response.

"Very true, and you did me a great service with that as well. For that I will always be indebted to you." He drops his head slightly remembering what could have happened before speaking again. "You see that is why you are still alive Manoso. Blaze did for me what no one else here in Columbia would have done and in return I gave her my loyalty as well as my promise not to hurt you, if you were in my area going after others. Now if you were coming after me directly that was a different story, but if you recall you haven't had to deal with me since that last incident. That is because of Blaze." Rico gives Ranger a glare that would make any normal man crumble. "She knew of my intentions and I gave my word that if you were in the area that no one from this organization would intentionally harm you or go after you for retribution in my name. As much as I wish to end you, what she gave me was so much more than my desire to see you in hell."

I notice a slight look of surprise appear on Ranger's face before it disappears. I return to my work on Rico and begin to stitch him up after getting the bullet out. "Before the US contracted me for these issues, I had already been on the rounds through Europe and on a trip or two to Russia because of their affiliation with the US Families. As I told the guys before the only groups I won't deal with by myself or travel to their areas at all are in the Middle East and China. I consult with them, but don't really speak in those meetings. Talk about groups that have issues with women." I shake my head at that thought. "So I became the Liaison for not only the US Families, but also for the US Government and some others, Columbia being one of them. However, my first obligation is in the US, even though I have spent much of the last year outside there. After about six months things in the US were very smooth, with very little challenge." I smiled at that. I look back at the guys and smile saying, "It helps to have connections." I finish up with Rico and give him a pat on the opposite shoulder. "You want your turn at ass wipe over there?" I ask him with a smile on my face.

He smiles back at me, "Oh you bet your cute little ass I do. However I think that I won't get so physical with him. He's already broken. I'll send Garcia over so you can stitch him up as well." I nod and smile at him.

I clean up my supplies as I continue to talk to the guys. "I know that staying here is not something that you will be comfortable with, but we don't have any other option at the moment. I will override the security system and they will not have any access to the rooms we will be in. They are adjoining suites and we can go back and forth as much as we want and there are several bedrooms so it is not necessary that anyone share a bed. I know that you still have a lot of questions, and I will answer as many as I can, but you will need to wait until we are up in the rooms for most of it. We still have a job to do and Rico will supply us with the needed materials to complete it. Unfortunately it will take a bit longer than I had planned originally, but we will get it done none the less." I look at Bobby. "Bobby let me know if Ranger's condition will affect his ability to be useful on this so we can decide whether he will be going home or staying to help." I then look at Ranger and say, "I will send you home if you are physically not able to move forward, but also if you are unable to follow what I say. Believe me, when I tell you that I will send you back, I won't hesitate. This is too important to me to have to deal with a difficult teammate."

"Babe. I'm not going anywhere." The first and only words out of his mouth in my presence so far. I guess we will have to see how that goes.

Garcia sits down next to me and I get to work on him and my guys clam up. I carry on a light conversation with Garcia just to catch up and am quickly finished. Garcia and I stand up and walk over to Rico and see that Manny has quite a few bullet holes in him. I look at Rico and ask, "Feel better now?"

A laugh escapes him and he states, "Actually yes. Do you want to do the honors? Or shall I?"

"I think you deserve the pleasure since you are the one that has to deal with the outcome of his stupidity." I state.

"Gladly!" Rico turns and puts the final bullet in Manny head. I bend over to check for a pulse and find none. "I'll have him taken care of. You and your group can go rest up. I know you have some phone calls that need to be made. I'll see you in the morning, around 7am?"

"That sounds good. By the way are Maricela and the kids still in the Caribbean?" He nods. "Call her and tell her to stay a bit longer. I want to find out what is going on here before they go anywhere. This way we can decide if they can come back home or if we need to send them to a safe house. I have one in mind if we need and I know the kids will love it, but only if it's necessary."

"Thank you Blaze." Rico says giving me a hug and kisses the top of my head. Garcia says good night with another hug and kiss to my head.

I walk back over to the guys, "Grab your stuff and follow me. We have some calls and work to do." I grab my stuff and head for the rooms we will be staying in with the guys hot on my heels.

**Okay so I am going to ask you for some suggestions here. In the next few chapters there should be some action. Do you think Ranger should work with her? Do you think he should be sent home? If he does work with her, does he accept her as the leader of the team? Let me know what you think and would like to see. **


	18. Chapter 18 Problems in Columbia Part VI

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Problems in Columbia Part VI**

(Ranger's POV)

How did I miss all of this? How could my Babe be Blaze? I know that I haven't seen her in two years, but this is a completely different woman than the one that I fell in love with, but not in a bad way. She is confident, courageous, lethal, calculating, physically fit, and she has retained that spark of light that I always saw in her. How did she do it? I have seen and done some terrible things in my past for my country and in defense of those who I love, but I have no innocence. I am a cold, calculating, machine that the government turns to so they can have the worst of their work handled. Some have called me a mercenary, which is true, others have called me a psychopath, probably not that far off in actuality, and none of them thought I was capable of love, none that is except for my Babe.

Watching her work, taking Manny down, I was in awe of her. She is smooth in her motions, does not hesitate and strikes to get the maximum damage in the minimum amount of strikes. In all honesty she's better than me. But is this what I wanted for her? Absolutely not, I didn't want the darkness of this world to touch her in anyway, that was why I had to walk away. I couldn't watch her lose what I loved the most about her, her innocence, but I guess I was wrong. I was shocked as hell to see her take the guy down and then even more surprised when she gave orders to Gutierrez to shut down the security system to allow the rescue team access and he actually did it. I thought I was a dead made as soon as I walked in this room. That I would never see her again and then she shows up to save me. Talk about a complete role reversal, how ironic can we get?

My Babe took command of a bad situation without faltering. She knew how to deal with men that had been after me for years and she held nothing back. It was nearly impossible to maintain my blank face I couldn't show my emotions to the enemy, I just hoped that she could read my feelings for her in my eyes, complete adoration and awe. I had to listen closely to her converse with my enemy and was shocked as hell to find that she not only knew him and his organization, but set up his security system for the compound. Why? What was she doing down here? As the time passed and she started to approach me to take car of my wounds I was so close to losing control of my emotions I hesitated in response to her questions. I knew she could take care of my wounds but I couldn't speak for fear of losing that last bit of control. I think I may have caused her to question whether I trusted her or not. My God, I would give my life for her no questions asked, of course I trusted her. When my core team entered the room I was disappointed when she asked Bobby for assistance to help me, I just wanted to be near her, wrap her in my arms and never let go, but I knew that had to wait. I watched her give hugs and kisses and laugh with the members of my core team and felt like I could die a happy man just hearing her laugh.

As she went back over to deal with Gutierrez, his second in command Garcia and Manny I was amazed at how comfortable she was here. How much time had she spent here? How well did she know this organization? How was she going to handle this situation? Would she ask for help from my team? I was in complete shock when she went to work on Manny herself. I watched her work as she attacked both his ego and his body, it was beautiful. When I heard about the attempted rape I was beyond pissed and could have ripped the man in half right then and there, but when I heard how she handled it I wanted to laugh. My Babe never disappoints. I cringed thinking what she did, but it would certainly prevent most men from attacking that wanted to protect their family jewels. I guess Manny was just too stupid to think of it. Her tactics had him spilling his guts quicker than anything that I had seen before, and then she just walked away joking. All I can think is, WOW!

We were finally getting some information from her about her involvement, but I know there had to be more to it than she was leading on. Why did she agree to all of this? Why is she so tight with Gutierrez? What did she bomb and why? My Babe knew how to build a bomb? That was not something that we ever discussed, even when she asked for more training. I wasn't thrilled to find out that we would be sleeping here at the compound, but I had no intention of leaving my Babe now. Where she goes I go. I was taken aback when she threatened to have me sent home; no one has ever done that to me. She obviously is not scared of me, not that I ever wanted her to be.

Walking up to the rooms we would be staying in I was in awe of how many of the guards nodded to her and seemed to be following protocol in her presence. Watching her enter the room she called hers, scanning her thumb print I was impressed with the security set up. I can't wait much more to speak to her; once the room has been cleared she has a lot of explaining to do. I only hope that she will listen to what we have to say. Well, maybe that should be more me than them, it seems my core team has a better idea of what is going on then I do, or some of them at least. The smirks on Lester, Hawk and Bones faces told me they knew something.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

Walking to our rooms I can feel the tension radiating off of the guys. I can only imagine the amount of questions that they have for me. Well, I think to myself, 'all in good time boys, all in good time'. The guards in the halls were still at parade rest and some nodded their heads at me as we walked, others just stared off into space. We arrived at the door to my suite and I scanned my thumb print for entry. The door unlocks and I push it open for the guys to all enter. They come to an abrupt stop in the foyer of the suite taking it all in. I close the door and immediately secure it with the codes that I had set up. I quickly walk past them and set my bag down on the floor by the couch, open it and take out my equipment to scan for any bugs in the room, not that I think there are any. I may be trusting, but I'm not stupid, I haven't gotten this far with a good trusting nature. Once the room is swept and has come up clean I turn to the guys.

"Okay, I have this room secured but I have to make a few adjustments to the security system since we are adding another suite to the same set up. There are no bugs in here so you can feel free to talk. No one will be able to gain access to this or the other suite once the modifications have been made, other than us. If we need anything else to eat outside of what I have here, or what you have brought with you, I can make a trip down to the kitchen; otherwise we will be in here until just before 7am. We have some calls to make and I am sure that you have questions for me." I say to them and they all nod.

I walk over to the desk and set up my laptop and log into the security system for the compound. I set up the second guest suite and the door that adjoins the room clicks unlocked. I stand up taking my equipment once again to check for bugs and finding a few remove them set them aside to be placed in the safe. I double check the door that accesses the hall to make sure all is as it should be.

Returning to the guys I say, "Go ahead and select your rooms and set up your stuff. I have a feeling we will be here for a few days. I know that won't make you completely comfortable, but when have you ever been completely at ease on any mission you were on until it was complete and on your way home?" I get a few head bobs and a blank stare from Ranger. "I have to make a few phone calls before we get started, so go get your rooms. Let me know if you need anything and I can see if I can get it for you. "I turn my back to them and pull out my business phone and walk to my room and close the door behind me.

Dialing home first the call is answered on the second ring, "Is everything settled?" asks Alexander.

"In a manner of speaking, the first part of this colossal cluster fuck is accomplished. We were right when we thought this was going to be more complicated than an extraction. Ranger and the Core Team of Rangeman are safe, but it turns out there are several traitors involved. One being in Rico's organization and he has already been dealt with. The others are a bit more complicated. Government officials and Rodriguez are at the top of that list. I was asked to complete the original mission that Ranger and his other team were brought in to complete and I think it goes deeper than they originally thought." I state flatly.

"Not surprising there, but glad to hear that everyone is okay. How are you dealing with this?" he asks.

"Fine so far, all business. We will all be sitting down in a bit to go over the plan to get this completed. Plus I know they have a lot of questions for me." I chuckle.

"So, you haven't had a chance to see what their reaction to you is yet?" he chuckles back.

"Nope, I'm curious to see what they all think. Hawk and Bones already knew and I think that they have been enjoying the surprise of everyone else. The looks on their faces when they walked in the room just a bit ago was priceless in comparison to the Core Team. Lester had some of it figured out, but I think he was still a bit shocked. The others I think I am going to enjoy seeing how this plays out. Can you imagine how they are going to take it when they find out they have to follow my orders the rest of the way? I even threatened to send Ranger home if he can't follow orders or is physically unable to be of assistance." I laughed.

"Oh to be the fly on the wall of that conversation." he laughs loudly. "I can only imagine the looks on their faces. Maybe you can take some pictures and email them to me?" he laughs even harder at that.

"Now that is just wrong." I say with a laugh. "That's like kicking a dog when it's down." I laugh some more. "But anyway, at least I know that in all of this mess Rico had no knowledge, but is going to supply everything I need to take out this latest issue as penitence. His wife and kids are still in the Caribbean and I told him to have them stay there for now instead of coming home. I may send them to Jeffrey's safe house if things get really ugly. They were targeted once before they don't need to go through that again."

"Absolutely, would you like me to call and give him a heads up, just in case?" he asks without hesitation.

"That would be great, thank you. Also, Rodriguez has decided to change his main income to the sex trade. And since everyone knows how I feel about this I won't stop until that's eliminated." I comment.

"Lord, the man has no morals does he? Doesn't he have children of his own?" he asks.

"Yes, that has me concerned as well. I am planning on having a conversation with his wife to see just how much she knows and to see if their children have been used in some way. I pray they haven't, but you never know with Rodriguez. Depending on what his wife has to say we may end up with his family as well, but I want to make sure that she has no knowledge of it first."

"Let me know how that goes. That may be a more delicate situation than what you did today." Alexander warns.

"Exactly and I'm not looking forward to it." I sigh before continuing. "Is Adrian home yet? I was going to call him as well if he isn't yet. I wanted him to know everything was alright." I ask.

"No he was at the hospital the last I talked to him. Go ahead and give him a call I know he was anxious to hear from you. I will talk to you later." He says.

"Okay, have a good night Alexander. I will give you a call when I know more." I say and hang up the call.

Quickly dialing Adrian he picks up on the first ring, "Glad to hear from you. Did everything go okay?" He asks with a smile in his voice.

"Well hello to you as well." I giggle. "At least the first portion is handled. Now I have a bunch of calls to make and that will define exactly how we proceed from here. I'll have a better idea tomorrow. I just wanted to call and let you know that so far things are being handled."

"Oh to see the faces of the guys when you showed up, I can only imagine. How are you handling it so far? I know this can't be easy for you." He asks.

"Honestly, I haven't had a chance to absorb it all yet. They have a lot of questions for me I'm sure. Ranger hasn't even really spoken to me yet, but I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. Lester on the other hand is his usual self. I have a feeling he's going to try to start shit. It should be pretty fun actually. Is everything okay there?" I ask him.

"Yep, although they're better now that I've heard from you, I'll call and let your grandma know that you're okay so far. I know she misses you as much as I do." He sighs.

"I miss you too. Hopefully this shouldn't take that long, but I know not to hold my breath. I'll give you another call as soon as I have an idea of when we should be home. I will probably have Alexander pass you some more messages before I talk to you again though." I sigh.

"Okay, just stay safe and don't work too hard." Adrian says. "Talk to you soon."

"Talk to you soon." I say before hanging up.

Alright time to get these calls taken care of. I open the door to my room and walk right into Ranger. I look up at him and see that his blank face is still in place. "Are you ready to make some calls?" I ask him.

"Yes, but I have a lot of questions that I need answered as well. I just don't know where to begin." Ranger says.

"Well, lets get the work out of the way first then you can ask and I will answer your questions as best I can." I say moving past him. I see all the guys are in the sitting room, some more relaxed then others. "Alright guys, lets get started." I pull out my sat phone and hit speed dial one.

"Good evening I hope this is a call with good news." stated General Stanton.

"General, your on speaker, all men are accounted for and we are currently in Rico's compound in my suite. We also have the adjoining suite and have made arrangements to stay here for as long as necessary." I state.

"Glad to hear it. Thank you for that Blaze. By the way what was the reception that they gave you?" He asks with a chuckle.

"Well honestly, they haven't said much to me, so I have yet to find out. I'm sure it will be interesting though." I chuckle.

"To say the least I'm sure." He laughs full out. "Manoso, glad to hear you are still with us. Ranger Team Alpha, glad that you followed protocol with the codes."

"All well and accounted for sir, a bit confused, but accounted for none the less." states Tank.

"Ranger has quite a few stab wounds, but nothing life threatening. The rest of us didn't see any action, except for Blaze, but she doesn't have a scratch on her." this from Bobby.

"Do you feel he will be of use to complete the mission?' asks the General.

"From a medical stand point he should be fine sir." responds Bobby.

"Glad to hear it. Now, do we have any further information on where the information came from? And what should the next step be? The sooner this is resolved the better." states the General.

"Well sir, Manny Benitez was contracted to take us out, but decided to hold me for other reasons as well. He received his information from Jose Escobar of the Columbian Government and we may not be able to resolve this issue completely. The uproar caused by taking out a large figurehead in their own territory could cause worse problems." says Ranger.

"Blaze what do you think?" asks the General.

"Manny has been eliminated, and he did confirm that Escobar was the leak as we had suspected, there won't be an issue to take out Escobar. My contacts in the Columbian Government know of his extra curricular activities and are more than happy to have him removed. I have some other phone calls to make in the morning, but the biggest problem I foresee will be with Rodriguez. I want this group out of commission, not just make it difficult for them to distribute." At my statement of disagreement with Ranger he met me with direct eye contact and widened his eyes. Guess Batman needs to accept that I don't just go along with his plans anymore. "I will take a small group with me to capture Escobar, probably tomorrow, and as we discussed previously, if he is a little banged up so much the better."

"Never one to waste time there Blaze. I agree. Contact me when it's done. How about Gutierrez? And what other equipment do you need at this point?" asks the General.

"Nothing at this time sir, Rico will be supplying anything that we need at the moment as payment for the problems with Manny. He knew he owed me for what happened and it's not a problem. I will be contacting Rodriguez's wife in the morning to find out what she knows, as well as contacting Rodriguez directly. As of yet, he has no idea that I'm here, so he'll be a little bit shocked if I find the need to blow something else up that he holds dear to him. I just want to make sure his kids are safe first and that they haven't been exposed to his newest business venture." I state flatly.

"Alright, that sounds appropriate. Keep me up to date. By the way gentlemen, Blaze is running this op. She has the connections and the knowledge of the area that we don't. If you give her any problems you will be sent back and replaced with another team member that she has worked with previously. Are we understood?" the General states.

"Sir, there won't be any problems from any of us. We will get this job done and be home soon." states Tank.

"Glad to hear it. Talk to you soon. Blaze let me know if you have any major issues." the General comments.

"Will do, one last thing, have you found out any further information on the other issue we discussed?" I asked.

"Nothing on this end has been found at this time." he states flatly.

"Alright, I'll dig down her some. Thank you General." And I terminate the call.

I turn to the guys and say, "Okay now that that is done I'll get us all some water and we can really get down to business." I walk to the refrigerator and grab a bunch of bottled waters and pass them out.

"Before we go any further with this mission I would like to find out exactly how, and why you are in command." states Tank. "I can see that I am not the only one with questions, but it also appears that some others here have more information than I do. Not that I don't trust you Steph, I do but, I would like to know what is going on here. There seem to be some really big holes in my knowledge of you over the past two years."

"That's understandable. I know you trust me, but I also need you to understand that there are some things that I can't tell you." At this he nods and I look at all of the men and receive small nods as well. "Okay, the reason that I was offered my position with the Families was because I already had quite a few contacts to other organizations outside the Trenton area, more than most normal people have actually." At that comment I see the questioning expressions. "I've known about seventy five percent of my connections in the US Families for more than ten years. I met most of them in college at Rutgers, or through my job at EE Martin. This was either the member of the Family directly, or their current spouse. A lot of them had introduced me to the Head of their Families at that time and there was a healthy level of respect between all of us. There had been some issues in college that came about that I could have caused some real problems for them, but I didn't. I kept my mouth shut or helped them to overcome that problem. Usually it was someone trying to take advantage of them, or just start shit. Several of the Families decided that they owed me for my loyalty and told me that they were indebted to me, but I didn't see it that way. I can honestly say that most of them are my true friends and we have stood by each other through some pretty hard times."

"I never wanted to use these connections when it came to bounty hunting in Trenton because I didn't think it was appropriate. Alexander had already heard of me before I helped Ranger initially, but the pieces weren't put together for him until after that issues had been resolved at the time. I had been in contact with him on a regular basis after that with lunches, or dinners and sometimes just on the phone. We usually went out with others as well from the Families, or just with Adrian. Just before the 'Incident'," using the air quotes to make my point, "Alexander, Vito and Harry approached me apparently they had spoken with others on the West Coast where they were having some real issues and came up with an idea to have someone be the Liaison between each organization because they found that there were some lower level people that were causing trouble and they needed to figure out who and get it taken care of. Well, because of my connections, and my ability to get people to talk to me without realizing it they felt that I was the ideal choice. They understood that to me loyalty is first and foremost. They also helped me to uncover what Morelli had been up to. They were the one's that suggested that I get even and set up the interview with the paper for me. I was able to gather the evidence over the course of about a week and a half. The only thing was Vito didn't know that Terry was involved in it. When I found out, I held those pictures back from the paper, I didn't see the need to embarrass his family, so those were given directly to Vito, but I told him I was going to print an extra copy to give to Morelli to show him what I was capable of." There were some nods of the heads from the guys.

"I had also received some more information on my family from them. Nothing I wasn't necessarily aware of, but I had some photographic evidence. And then was able to get some of my own, some intentionally and some accidentally." I shivered at the image that came to mind. "When I asked you guys for training, I already knew what I was going to do once I was done with it, because I had already agreed to their arrangement. It just took them about six months to get everything organized. The additional training that they wanted me to have, I had the option to get it from you or from their contacts, and you know where that came from." Ranger hangs his head in defeat at that comment. I look at him and say, "Ranger, I don't hold it against you for saying no. It was your decision to help or not and I understood that. I chose to do what I did, and I wouldn't take anything back. It was my decision to make and you had to accept that, whether you could live with it or not was up to you. I am guessing that since you left that you couldn't."

I look back at the guys. "So, when I started the position with the Families I was approached by the US government for the first time. They wanted to put me under contract to deal with all of the Families as their Liaison, when they heard of the plans for my position; they wanted to take advantage of the connections that I had already made initially. I declined for the first six months much to their frustration. My loyalty was to my friends, not to some suit that sat behind a desk. I wanted to make sure that I was able to accomplish the goals the Families had set up for their organizations before anything else could be attempted. It went rather smoothly actually. In that first six months all major disputes were resolved and I had all of the Families and Organizations in harmony. Of course there were a few issues here and there, but for the most part, considering the number and area they cover it was a minor miracle. Lester knows about some of my work in California and the Northwest from when he joined me out there." There was a smile on my face at the thoughts that those places brought to mind.

"Yeah Beautiful, those were some fun times, especially when you got a few days off. The party scene out there is quite a bit different from home." Lester stated with a smile. "They honestly have some of the best dance clubs around."

I laugh, "The beaches were nice to, but I have to say I think the Miami beaches are the best. Anyway, after the initial six months were done the Columbian government, who was in contact with some of the Families and Organizations in the US, were impressed with how things were going so smoothly. I had been to Europe and Russia already and the Families had worked it out with the governments there that I would be free to move around and handle affairs and offer my assistance to them if needed, and that worked relatively well. So, the US government came calling again. I was to not only be the Liaison between the Families and Organizations in the US, but also the International Cartels as well for the US Government. They were also going to supply additional training for me just in case I needed it, which I have used a few times, but not too often. It took a while to get the agreement worked out, with the understanding that the contract would be secondary to anything I needed to handle with my original position and that anything that I did for them, or within the organizations would be untouchable. The number of deaths has been brought down by more than half and is still on the decrease, the number of domestic abuse cases and unsolved crimes dealing with any of my contacts were solved and those that needed to be placed in prison, especially for unnecessary murder or abuse. Crimes against women and children are my top priority now honestly outside of keeping the peace. There have been less territory disputes in the last two years than there were in the year previous to my taking the position. Things have calmed down dramatically here in Columbia, but it also took about a year for that to happen. I spent a considerable amount of time here over the last year getting things settled and as you can see that hasn't been completely solved. Getting them to accept an outsider was difficult at first, but most have come around. Now most of their issue is because I am a woman, as you heard earlier." I laughed at this comment.

"Hawk and Bones have been on a few of the International missions since I needed a team to go in most of the time. In the US, I typically go in by myself unless there has been cause to believe a team is necessary. Typically at home conversations can settle most disputes. It is internationally that most issues require a more aggressive form of negotiations." Hawk and Bones laugh at that out loud. I look to see Ranger has a stern look on his face.

"Aggressive negotiations is a bit of an understatement. That bomb that Gutierrez mentioned was way more than negotiations. That was an all out attack." Bones laughs.

"Hey, he had it coming, and I more than proved my point. Didn't I? I think that everyone took more notice after that incident." I defended myself.

"That's true, but the amount of damage that was left behind was pretty impressive. It did only take a matter of weeks to settle things after that, rather than the months that were originally thought." Hawk comments.

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about? This bomb that went off, that Gutierrez was referring to, didn't kill anyone but took out what exactly?" asked Ranger.

"Well, the warehouse buildings were being used as housing for kidnapped victims and that were being held at the time in the center buildings, and the buildings that surrounded those were being used to make the drugs that were being distributed by a certain Cartel. Since they weren't holding true to even the old ways and leaving the family members of other groups alone they were taken out. They were also holding some family members of local government officials." I stated flatly.

At that statement they were all staring at me, while Hawk and Bones had big smiles on their faces. What did they think that I was helpless? Sheesh.

**Okay, so I will be taking the weekend off of posting and will back bright and early Monday morning. Hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks to those who made suggestions to the upcoming storyline there were some great ideas sent. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Have a great weekend. **


	19. Chapter 19 Discussion in Columbia

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Discussion in Columbia**

"If the location was being used for holding hostages and making drugs how did you get everyone out of there before you blew it up? There is no way that you could have done that without any loss of life. That's impossible." Tank says incredulously.

"No way would they be no casualties at all. How could you account for those not seen? There had to have been at least forty to fifty people there not including the hostages that would have been in the way." Bobby commented. "Besides for two miles to be taken out that would have been some fire power behind the bomb."

"Yes there was a lot of fire power in the bomb that I made, but there was a lot of help from the chemicals that they were using to increase the blast. It was quite a sight actually." I giggled. "We did it at night when most of the activity died down. There were about twenty five guards around the buildings that were taken out with tranquilizer darts. Those that were found to have anything to do with the kidnappings were detained and turned over to the government; those that we knew were being pressured into their jobs were contacted and were removed before the show started. Once the guards were taken down, we were able to secure the hostages and get everyone out. The charges were set by me at various locations around the buildings, concentrating mainly on the drug warehouses. A few smaller ones on the buildings for the hostages, just to make sure the area was leveled. I didn't want them to be able to come back and set up shop again right away. Actually I think that this is the land that Rodriguez is using for his sex trade. I'll have to confirm this, but if it is we are in a good position, because I already have some surprises stored for use in the area that you will find out about later on. Anyway, the hostages were all returned to their loved ones and the Cartel that was working in that area was completely dismantled shortly there after. We have not had any major problems since that blast happened, and for good reason, they are all running scared. Especially our next target Escobar."

"Escobar isn't our next target, Rodriguez is. And we can't wait to long or the girls that I was here to originally prevent from getting shipped will be moved." Ranger speaks up for the first time in the discussion.

"No, the girls from that shipment went out as planned already. You were taken four days ago, well almost five. The girls were to be sent out the day after you were taken. We will have to wait and see what we can find out tomorrow or the next day to figure out when we can go after Rodriguez so that we can get him. It shouldn't take too long. We don't have to wait for his next shipment, I know how to get in touch with him and I have details on all of his holdings, or at least what his holdings were the last time I was here about five months ago. Escobar will be our target first and this can happen either tomorrow or the next day depending on where he's at. I just need to make a few phone calls; I might be able to set him up to be at a particular location that works best for us. If that is the case, I will only need three of you to come with me." I explain.

"No way, we all go, that's too dangerous a plan for such a small group. There is no way that Escobar will be stupid enough after putting a target on your head that he would meet you openly in public." Ranger counters.

"Ranger, you better listen to what she's saying man, she knows these people better than you. I've seen her work them and they do as she says without too much effort on her part. They trust her, and give her the information that she wants without even batting an eye." Hawk speaks up.

"Ranger, you need to understand that I am willing to listen to your suggestions, but what I say goes. No matter how much you hate it and no matter how much you think you know me, you don't. You've been out of the loop of my life for two years. I tried to get messages to you, which I know were delivered and the only response I got back was 'Glad your okay', so don't think that you have a clue as to what I can do here. If you make yourself a problem here I'll have you sent back and I won't think twice about it." I state flatly. How dare he try to undermine me. I see him glare at me from his spot on the couch and I turn back to the guys.

"Do any of you have an issue with following my orders? I want to know now, because if you can't I will get another team in here tomorrow. This is too important an issue to have problems working together. I know that Hawk and Bones have taken orders from me before so we don't have a problem, but what about you guys?" I ask them. "Remember you aren't working with Stephanie Plum anymore. That person is long gone, and that doesn't even take into account the name change. You are dealing with Blaze here and I know you know the respect that call name has earned."

"You'll get no issue from me Beautiful. I've seen you in action before and have no problems following your lead. BLAZE is one bad ass I want the pleasure of working with." Lester says without hesitation.

"I think I am still having some issues in my head that we are dealing with a different Steph, but you won't get any problems from me." says Bobby.

"Thanks Bobby, I know we spent some time together but it was never in a work environment, I can understand that it's hard, but who you spent the few days here and there with is the same person Bobby." I say to him with softened features.

"You won't get any problems from me Little Girl. You truly kicked ass earlier, it was something to see. Never thought I would see you in that light, I have a whole new respect for you, not that I didn't respect you before. Your instincts are incredible." Tank says. "I was taken aback with your relationship with Gutierrez though. Can I ask you something?" I nod for him to continue. "What is it that you gave him that was a greater gift then what Ranger took from him? I mean the guy lost his brother, not that it was intentional, but he has been after Ranger for years because of it, and now because he owes you he won't touch Ranger, or anyone from his organization. Don't get me wrong I am thankful that my friend doesn't have to look over his shoulder anymore, but what is it you did?"

I hang my head trying to think of how best to explain my actions and my request. Before I can respond Ranger speaks up, "Yes, I would like to hear what it cost you to save me, because you know that I would never put myself before you."

"See Ranger that is where I never understood you, but that is for another conversation." I take a deep breath to clear my mind, and begin to explain, "Rico's family was in those buildings that were bombed. They had been taken the day before while they were out shopping with their guards. I was in the process of working out Rico's new security system that I set up when we were notified that they had been taken. All of their guards had been taken out, but luckily one was able to hold on long enough to make the call. Once we heard what happened we knew who it was that took them, but had no idea where they were. His children are five and seven years old and were taken by men that did not even hold true to their own old ways. This particular compound was going to be taken out anyway so I set it up the next day that we would go and prove a point to the other Cartels that this was not going to be tolerated I set to work with the team. Hawk and Bones can vouch me; this was not a rescue mission to start off with. All of the people who we could contact to get out of there were notified and we went in the cover of night. It was just luck that Maricela and the kids were there, and had not been harmed yet. Once we got into the building with the hostages and I saw who they had, I called Rico and had him bring vehicles to transport everyone. There were even some family members of other cartels fighting with Rico, but he took them to safety as well. Once everyone was out safe I set the charges we moved back and blew the place to hell." I sighed at the memory.

"I guess you could say that I was once again at the right place at the right time. So, once everything had calmed down and I was able to return all of the hostages to their loved ones I came back here and we finished setting up the extra security. Once we were done Rico approached me and let me know that he would do anything for me that I asked because I had saved the last of his family. He knew that he would not be able to survive without them and told me he would forever be in my debt. I tried to tell him that he didn't need to do anything for me. It actually took a few days for me to be able to tell him what I wanted from him, because it came up in a passing conversation. I had no idea at the time that the death of his brother had been caused by a mission that you were previously on Ranger. When he explained how he had been waiting for years to get back at you I jumped at the chance to use the debt he owed me. It only took him a matter of minutes to give me his word that he would not go after you as long as you were not coming for him. I know that it cost his greatly to make that vow, because all of my influence and contacts have to swear their loyalty to not only me, but to the cause of the entire organization. He knows that if he makes me question that loyalty he will be replaced without question, that and I will send Maricela after him, and I think he fears her wrath just as much as he fears mine." I chuckle at the last statement. "She and I are very similar. You don't want to piss us off." I say with a quick nod.

Looking directly at Ranger I continue in a stern voice, "So you see, it didn't cost me anything to make sure that you were personally protected Ranger. Actually all of you are protected by my name from any Cartel here that you are not going after. No US soldier or operative can be touched without my consent. If they are not familiar down here they contact me to find out who they are and what their business is. It doesn't happen often, but if the need arises, I contact the General for further information on the person in question. It seems to save a lot of hassle and unnecessary fighting that could have been avoided. Among some of the other hostages were some of the Columbian Government officials, but of course none of Escobar's family has ever been a target. The man has been on the take for a long time and they finally want him taken down. But then again, if they hadn't wanted to deal with it then they would have had a missing Government official after this recent occurrence and they wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. I'm just sad that they want to deal with him themselves, rather than getting to hurt him myself." I say radiating anger. "Escobar isn't going to know what hit him when we get him."

"So you said you have some surprises in store for Rodriguez, what would those be? You have me curious to find out what you have planned Blaze." asks Bones.

"Bones you know me well enough that I won't give away my secrets. These are really good though, I can't wait to hear his voice when he gets them. It should make him really good and angry. There are a few extras that I need to confirm tomorrow as well, and some people that I may need to get out of dodge before we can make a move, but overall that shouldn't slow us down too much. So will you be ready to go after Escobar with me tomorrow?" I ask him.

"Hell yeah, I want to see that smug bastard look you in the eye and piss himself." He laughs full out, "You know he won't be able to hold it this time, especially after what he's done. How bad do you plan to rough him up?" Bones smiles at me.

"I haven't decided yet. I'll probably wait to see what he has to say and see how much he pisses me off at the time, but it will probably be pretty bad. Especially if I find out that he knew who was on the team that he gave up the location on." I smile at him.

"Who else wants in on Escobar? And it won't be you Ranger. You need a day to heal some before you go anywhere. Who ever doesn't go with me will be staying here in the compound. I know that this will not be the most comfortable feeling for you, but you can be assured that the guards here will not go after you. I will make sure that the rooms here are stocked with food before we leave and we shouldn't be gone that long." I say to them.

Tank is the next to speak up, "I would like to go and see you in action, plus get a little payback on this prick. I think Bobby should stay here with Ranger in case he needs anything, sorry man, but since Blaze here knows the medic stuff too you should be here just in case. She can take care of us in the field." Tank smiles at me and gives me a wink. Okay things are getting back to normal now.

"Yeah, I have no problem with that. I just don't want to be a sitting duck forever. I'll get in on the action when we take down Rodriguez. I am really curious as to what you have planned for him Blaze." He says with the shake of the head. "It's going to take some getting used to calling you that Steph." He says with a snicker.

"No worries. Bombshell still kind of fits since I am now the one blowing thing up by choice rather than my things getting blown up by others. I have to say it is a nice switch. My trainer was rather impressed with how quickly I picked it up. When I explained everything that had happened in the past he gave me a crash course in all of the devices that could be used, and it has come in very handy if you know what I mean." I say with a laugh.

"I'll go to Beautiful. Since the guards here are somewhat familiar with Hawk, it might make the other guys a bit more comfortable to have him here. But then again, Ranger won't be happy to be left behind no matter what." He chuckles at the glare that Ranger gives him. "See what I mean." pointing to Ranger. "He'll be a crab the entire time we're gone, and that is another reason I don't want to be here."

"Gee thanks. Just what I wanted to do, deal with Ranger in a bad mood, as if staying behind wasn't bad enough." That earned Hawk a glare from Ranger for himself.

"Oh suck it up Ranger, everyone knows how you are when you don't get what you want, so just deal with it. We know that that hasn't changed about you." and then the adult in me left the building as I stick out my tongue at him, which makes all the guys laugh except Ranger. "Alright so it will be Tank, Lester, Bones and I on the Escobar take down. We should probably all hit the sack for tonight since it's late and we have a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow. I'm tired and I'm supposed to meet Rico at 7am. I'll meet you all in here at 645am in the morning. Sleep well guys." I get up and give hugs and kisses to all the guys except for Ranger who is just staring at me. I look at him and tell him, "Get some rest Ranger after what you've been through the last few days you need it. See you in the morning."

I turn to walk away and I hear a very low, "Night Babe." I keep walking into the bedroom and softly close the door behind me and take a few deep calming breaths before I go into the bathroom to do my nightly routine. It had been a long time since I had heard that name and I wasn't sure what I was feeling about it. Twenty minutes later I emerge from the bathroom in my t-shirt and boy shorts and climb into bed. Just as I start to drift off I get that familiar tingle in my neck.

Without turning over I say, "Ranger you need to go to sleep we can talk more later."

"Babe." was the only response that he gave me.

"Just climb in and go to sleep, I'm tired." As quickly as he could with all of his wounds he climbs in next to me and assumes the position that we used to sleep in together, with his front to my back and his arm around my waist.

I hear him take a deep breath in my hair and then he says, "Night Babe." and is almost asleep immediately. I follow a few seconds later with a small smile on my lips.

**So, what do you think? Let me know. More to come tomorrow. **


	20. Chapter 20 Preparations in Columbia

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**And a special shout out to: Margaret Fowler, Wanda517, Ziandra2010, FairTaxGirl and Dikent for your ideas. Look for some of them to come true, but I won't tell you when.**

**Preparation in Columbia**

(Ranger's POV)

Listening to the story I was in awe of her. I always new she could do wonderful things and had great potential, but never in a million years had I thought she would be involved in this type of work. I knew she had connections, but I didn't realize just how connected she was, she never disappoints. The longer the explanation went on the more I wanted to take her in my arms and never let go. She had gone through some very tough times over the last two years and I wasn't there to help her, not that she needed it apparently, but I felt like I had failed her. She took it upon herself to make sure that I was protected along with my men, and that truly spoke of her unconditional love for all of us. I just hope that she can forgive me for what I had done. The last two years have been the most difficult in my life; that was why I was doing missions. I couldn't stand to be able to have access to her without trying to protect her and make her mine. I need to do something about that as soon as possible, I just can't live without her in my life anymore.

Some of my questions were being answered, but I still needed to know what she had to pay to assure my safety, there was no way it was some little price; it would have been like selling your soul to the devil. I should have kept my mouth shut, because as soon as the words came out of my mouth I saw the look of hurt on her face that nearly broke me. See this is why I don't talk much, I have a way of saying the wrong thing and it makes the situation worse. I want to love her, and I just seem to keep hurting her more. By the time we were all going to bed, I couldn't get comfortable in the room I was sleeping with, and it had nothing to do with being in the enemy camp. I wanted to be near her, I couldn't stay away. I needed to talk to her and explain myself and see if she could accept me. Her life now if nothing else is more dangerous than mine and I needed to be there for her to help her in any and everyway possible. I walked into her room and closed the door silently behind me and just stared at her sleeping form in the bed. I should have known she would sense me, that connection would never be broken between us. When she told me to go to sleep and we would talk later I was somewhat disappointed and somewhat relieved at the same time. There was no hesitation for me to climb in bed with her and assume our usual sleeping position from whenever I would sneak into her apartment. There was a calm that washed over me and a completeness that had been missing from my soul in the last two years. I would be damned if I was going to lose it again. I took a deep breath and inhaled her scent while holding her, just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, God I had missed this so much. The only words I could say before darkness took me over were "Night Babe." I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

I woke up to my alarm going off feeling well rested, and honestly it was probably the best nights' sleep I'd had in a very long time. That must have been because of the man that was snuggled up behind me. I gave myself a few minutes with my eyes closed to enjoy the feel of being in his arms again, knowing that it may very well be the last time this ever happened again. I knew that I needed to get my head back in the game and get up. I took a deep breath and tried to remove the arm that was wrapped around my waist, but had no luck. The attempt at removing it caused his grip to tighten and I heard him sigh.

"Ranger you need to let me go. I have to get in the shower and get ready. You can sleep some more. I know you are probably exhausted, but I have work I need to do." I say to him.

All he does is grunt and tighten his grip even more. I hate that I need to get up, snuggling with Ranger was always one of my favorite things to do, but we don't have time right now.

"Ranger, please let go. The sooner we get this taken care of the sooner we can go home."

"I know, but it feels so good to hold you Babe. It's been to long and I don't want to let you go." Ranger says before he loosens his grip on me.

"We have a lot we need to talk about, but it has to wait until we get this done. You always said that getting emotions involved could get you killed. We also don't have time right now, maybe later today or tomorrow we'll have a chance to sit down and talk some, but it can't be right now." I state. As he releases me I kiss his forehead before I get up out of bed and head toward the bathroom to get a quick shower and get the day started. My heart wants to be able to talk to him and listen to what he has to say, if he'll say anything, but my brain knows that by opening that box could compromise the job. We all need our heads in the game and the discussion we need to have could cripple us and I am not willing to take that chance.

I step out of the bathroom dressed and ready for the day ahead and notice that Ranger is still in bed, but his eyes are on me. "Did you want to sleep some more? You need your rest right now. The guys will understand. I just have a bunch of phone calls that I need to make right now. We can come back up in a bit to get you before we sit down to strategize." I knew what his reaction would be, but I still thought he needed his rest.

"No, I'll get up. Honestly I don't feel comfortable being alone in the enemies' home. I know you are, and you seem to have a friendship of sorts with him, but I have my own experiences with him." Ranger states.

"I understand that. I'll see you in the lounge when you're ready. We have to be downstairs by 7am. How's you pain? Do you need anything?" I ask.

"Probably some Tylenol would be good. I don't like being medicated outside of home." He says as he walks to the bathroom.

"I'll have some for you when you're done." I say as I walk out of the room. I notice Tank and Lester were already in the lounge area. I walk to my medic bag in the lounge and pull out the Tylenol for Ranger and set in on the counter with a bottle of water.

I turn around to Lester standing right behind me. He kisses my forehead and asks, "Good morning Beautiful. Are you okay? I saw Ranger go in your room last night."

I smile up at him and say, "Yeah, I'm fine. We didn't talk, just slept. There is a lot we need to talk about, but not now. He's taking a shower and then he'll be out in a few minutes."

A little while later we are all dressed, armed and ready to get some work done. We head downstairs and I hear the Latin music coming from the speakers and it was getting louder as we got closer and closer to Rico's office. We get to the door and I knock loudly so he'd know we were approaching. I see Rico dancing by himself over by the window looking out into the yard and he calls over to me, "Blaze, I need your help over here."

I giggle as I make my way over to him, "Maricela had better not get mad at me for taking her place this morning." He smiles at me, takes my hand and leads me into open space of the office and we begin to dance the Rumba, followed by the Meringue, and then Samba while we laugh. When we finally stop dancing I turn around and all of the guys are staring at me. "It's his morning routine with Maricela everyday. When she's not here he usually gets me to take her place when I'm around. It's a nice way to start the day and gets the blood pumping." I smile at them and turn back to Rico and say, "I don't think that they get it. I personally love it. Alright, let's get to work."

"So I want to contact Escobar and have him meet us tonight so we can get him taken care of. Do you think Garcia would be able to call and set that up? I would make the call myself, but he needs to know that there are others supporting me and that it is known that he'll be meeting me. Then he'll be less likely to try anything." I say.

"That won't be a problem. I'll have him take care of that this morning to set it up for 8pm this evening. If the time changes I'll let you know." Rico says. "We can use the usual restaurant in town. You know the one."

"Yep sounds good. Okay next up, Rodriguez. I need to call his wife and will be doing that around 9am. I know the kids will be in school and she won't be at the house at that time so she'll feel free to speak without him around. Once I have talked with her, I will contact Rodriguez himself. Depending on what his wife has to say and if she is willing to cooperate with us will have some effect on how we handle the situation." I say.

"I called Maricela last night and explained a bit of what is going on. She wasn't happy with me at all, and she wanted me to apologize again. Also, she's willing to take you up on the safe house if needed. Honestly that would be a good thing for me too. Then I don't have to deal with her wrath right now, pissed doesn't even express what I had to listen to." Rico winced at his last comment.

"Oh I bet I have an idea. Do you want to wait or just have her moved today?" I ask him.

"If you don't mind I would rather have them moved today. That way we won't have to worry about anything." Rico comments.

Pulling out my phone, "Is your jet there with them right now?" He nods. "Okay." I dial the phone and it is answered on the first ring, "Hey there. I need your house in Orlando for one woman and two children. Can you make sure we have tickets for them to Disney World as well?"

"Well, hello there to you too Sweetheart. You got it. I talked with Alexander yesterday. I'll get the tickets taken care of and set up some guards for them as well. Everything going okay?" Jeffrey asks.

"Just peachy! We are still trying to figure out all the details but the first half of our current job will be done tonight. You'd be impressed with what I have planned. Remember the special presents you sent me a while ago?" I hear him chuckle on the other end. "Well, I plan to put a few of them to good use here. I'll let you know the outcome. It should be spectacular. Oh, by the way there may be a few more added to you guest list, but I won't know until later today. Casa Masterson should be a hoppin place starting tonight." I giggle at him.

"Bring it on Sweetheart. The only thing that could make it better would be if you joined them. They can land at the private airstrip. You will need to call the general and make sure the customs agents don't cause any problems though." Jeffrey comments. "I can't wait to hear what you have to say about the packages. Are they already in place?"

"Your sweet, but maybe next time, I still have a lot of work to do. I will get that call made before they take off so we should be all set and there shouldn't be any issues when they land. The plane will be turning around and coming back here right after they are delivered. Can you make sure that Tommy is one of the guys to meet them at the airstrip? I think that would help the kids a bit. And yes, some of them are already in place, I don't want to use all of them in one spot. I have to leave some mystery you know." I laugh at him. "I'll talk to you later tonight before they arrive. Thanks for your help Jeffrey." At his comment of sure thing I close my phone. "Alright Jeffrey will be ready for them, including guards to accompany them to Disneyworld. The kids should love it, and Tommy will keep them entertained." I smile at that thought. The guy is a big goof ball and loves kids.

Rico smiles at me, then walks over and hugs me tightly, "Thank you for watching out for them. You have no idea what this means to me." He places a kiss on my forehead before stepping back.

"Not a problem. I look forward to hearing their stories. So, let's go ahead and call Rosa and find out what she knows. Would it be possible to have breakfast brought in here for all of us while we make these calls?" At that moment my stomach announces itself and I hear snickers throughout the room. "Yeah yeah, you all know about the beast get over it."

"I'll call and have the cook set up in here." Rico says as he shakes his head with a smile.

I pick up my phone and dial Rosa's number and place the call on speaker phone. The phone is picked up on the second ring, "Hello there." She says with a small voice.

"Rosa, it's Blaze, Is you husband around right now? I need to speak with you privately." I ask.

"No he is doing business and I am outside right now. I know what you are calling about and I don't know if I can help you. I just found out about it by accident and that didn't go over too well. What he is doing is wrong on so many levels and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut." She says with a sad voice.

"Rosa, what didn't go over to well? Did he hurt you? What about the kids? I need to know how I can help you."

"I need to get the kids out of here. He wanted our daughter to go with him somewhere the other day alone, but I was able to distract him and get her away, but he turned on me. I swear he has never hit me before and I have never seen this look in his eyes before. I am truly afraid of him, but I know he won't let me go anywhere. I'm more worried that he will do something to the children. I know that something awful might happen to them, and they are his own flesh and blood. He talks differently to son and has been encouraging him to be more physical with girls, he has even tried to get him involved in the business and he is only twelve. The look in my son's eyes when he looks at his father is nothing like it used to be. He used to idolize his father, now he fears him. I don't know if there has been any abuse though, he won't talk to me about it, but he has been very protective of his sister." She almost cries.

"Rosa, can you get them to the safe house I have for you? Can you get away from the house long enough to get away?" I ask her.

"Only to pick up the children, he has me closely guarded especially since I found out about this new venture of his." She says with venom in her voice. "I want nothing to do with it, or him now, it makes me sick to even look at him, but I don't know what to do."

"Rosa I need you to get the kids out of school and I will have a team come and get you from the safe house tonight, it will be late though. Can you manage that?" I ask her.

"I won't be able to go with them. If he finds out that I'm gone god only knows what he will do, just take my kids away from him. Please make them safe, I will do anything to make sure they are safe. I will stay behind to see if I can gather information for you. Just promise me my children will be safe." Rosa pleads.

"Rosa that will be very dangerous for you, once he finds out his children are gone he will take it out on you, you know that. I can't put you at risk like that. Besides, I need to know where your loyalties are. You still love the man, I know you do." I say to her.

"The only thing that matters to me now is my children. I will do anything for them. If my death will ensure their safety then so be it. He can't do anything to me that would be worse than knowing my children were being turned into evil monsters. I am putting my children's' lives in your hands and I will do anything that you ask, if I fail you then you can kill me on the spot. My life will not be worth living if I don't have my children." She almost cries.

"Alright, make sure the kids are at the safe house as soon as possible. Tell them to answer the door for no one. I will use the security code to enter and then we will get them out of here. I won't tell you where they are until this has been resolved to ensure everyone's safety." I say to her.

"Thank you." She says with a sob as I hear yelling and things breaking in the background. "I have to go before he sees me on the phone." And the line goes dead.

I look up at Rico and see the anger in his eyes. "Rico, you need to let me handle this tonight. Rodriguez will see your guys coming if you have anything to do with the kids disappearing. Hopefully he won't have a clue what is going on until after we get them out, but I have a feeling that is highly unlikely. Can you get one of your smaller guards to get me some black clothing so I can have it for John to put on when I get to him and some of your daughters black clothes for Isa.? They won't have much to take with them. Also we need to jet to take them to Florida as soon as we get back here. The sooner they are out of here the better."

"Sure thing, that bastard is going to pay for trying to use his own kids. I will also have two men go with them on the flight." Rico says with anger in his voice.

"Are you sure this is the smartest thing to do? You are provoking an angry snake already. His business is in trouble and if he is willing to take that out on his wife, don't you think taking the kids will piss him off even more?" asks Bobby. "I like the idea of getting the kids out first as well, but if he knows were are coming for him, won't that make him more on edge?"

"Yeah Blaze, he may try to strike first and I don't think we can afford that." Says Tank.

"He won't be striking first guys. I'll be keeping him to busy over the next two days to worry about his kids. He'll be more worried about the property damage that is heading his way. I think I am more concerned with Rosa being in the middle of all of this. I don't know how well she can keep the fact that I have her kids hidden depending on what he does to her." I say sadly.

"What exactly do you have planned Beautiful? Does this have something to do with the surprises you mentioned earlier?" asks Lester.

"You will just have to wait and find out my friend. After we take Escobar into custody we will head over and get the kids and then head straight to the airstrip. Just make sure you carry enough firepower in case we are followed. Things could go smoothly, but if we are tailed I want them taken out before we get to the strip. Bones you know the roads as well as I do, so you will have the wheel." I clarify. Bones nods his head in acceptance.

"This is an awfully big risk to take, Babe. You sure you want to do this?" Ranger asks.

"Would you leave kids behind to have them used in his new business if you could get them out?" I ask looking directly him in the eye.

"No, but you are only taking a team of three besides yourself, don't you think it would be wise to use more firepower?" Ranger asks.

"No need, the location we are setting this up at, Blaze has many contacts at. They will be warned to expect something and will be ready if needed." states Rico.

I smile up at Rico, "It's good to have connections." At this he laughs. "Alright now for the phone call with Rodriguez. I'll put him on speaker, but you all should stay quiet. Let's find out if he knows I am here or not. If he doesn't, then he will shortly if I don't like the answers I get." I set up my laptop on the table and log into my programs. I pull up the heat sensors at Rodriguez's compound and then activate my log in for my surprises as well as the layout for each location they are at. A smile crosses my face as I get all set up.

"Oh boy, I know that look." Says Rico. My smile only gets bigger.

"You do, huh? What exactly are we in for then?" this from Tank. I noticed a round of laughter coming from some of the guys, and I look up to Tank and wink at him, before returning my attention to my laptop.

I logged into the security system at each property to see the number of people in each location to so we do as little harm to others as possible. "Alright I'm all set, are you guys ready to get started?" At their nods I dial the phone and wait for it to be answered, and surprised that it took three rings to be picked up.

"Hello there Blaze, how are things going for you?" comes Rodriguez's sickening voice.

"Just fine and you?" I say as sweetly as possible.

"Good. I am surprised to hear from you. I thought things were fairly quiet around here. To what do I owe the honor of speaking to you directly? Don't you usually deal with Gutierrez?" he asks.

"Yes I do, but I thought I would make the rounds of calls to see how everything is going as well. You know, getting information straight from the horse's mouth is better sometimes. So, what have you been up to since I last spoke with you? Have you had any problems that I need to know about?" I ask him.

"Nothing too terrible, but you know that already. I am still trying to rebuild some of my business since your last business. Things have been going very slowly." He says with some bitterness. "But other than that, nothing new has happened, it has been a bit dull around here you know."

"Well, you knew you had that coming. Dull, how so?" I ask him knowing he is not going to give me a straight answer.

"Just that I have not had much of a challenge lately, I am getting rather bored." He says.

"So maybe a new hobby would be a good idea, you think? Anything come to mind?" I ask flatly.

"Nothing off the top of my head but I sure would be game for something new. So are you going to be coming back down anytime soon?" He asks me.

"That's too bad because I heard you had found a new hobby. You want to tell me about it? I'm curious what would get your attention? Maybe it would be something that I could get into. I'm always for new ways to spend my time." I say to him as I start to type away on my lap top selecting the first location to destroy.

"I don't know what you are talking about Blaze, I haven't been up to anything new, but if I come across something that you might find interesting I will definitely let you know." He says. A few clicks of my lap top and you can hear alarms going off in the background.

"What's all the noise in the background? Is something wrong?" I ask him with a smile on my face but my voice flat.

"I'm not sure." I heard clicking in the background. "It seems that one of my buildings had the fire alarm go off. It must be a false alarm." I take the opportunity to check my program and notice that there are currently no heat signatures in the building and hit enter. Then I hear more alarms going off in the background. "What the hell is going on? One of my buildings just went off line." He says.

"Hmmm. Sounds like you have a bit of a problem there. Would that be your building on the compound or one of the buildings located on the outskirts of town?" I click a few times to get one of his buildings on the compound that had also been evacuated to go "boom".

"How did you know that? Both just went offline. I need to get this under control; I'll have to call you later." He says trying to end the call.

I interrupt him before he can hang up, "I wouldn't hang up if you want to keep the remaining buildings you have there. And you may want to make sure that you are straight with me from this point on."

"What are you talking about? You blew up my buildings? What do you want? I haven't done anything to cause you to come after me." He says with anger.

"You haven't, huh? Well let me get this straight, you think you've done nothing wrong? Because from where I stand you have done plenty wrong. You do know that you can't hide anything from me, right?" I ask him.

"I have nothing to hide from you. I don't know where you are getting your information from Blaze but you are wrong. I have stuck to the agreement that was set up when you first came here." He says angered. "You have no right to do this to me. I will make you pay for this Blaze."

"See now that is where you are wrong. You have done nothing but lie to me just now. You know that women and children are to be protected, yet you have started a new business haven't you? Did you think that I wouldn't find out about it or that I would just sit back and let you take advantage of those that can't defend themselves?" I hiss at him.

"You have no right to interfere." I click and make another building go "boom" as he continues to rant. "You can't control me, and I will not allow you to run my business. I will get back at you for doing this to me." As he kept going I blew up another building. I look up to Rico and see him shaking his head in laughter and the guys around me staring at me in wonder.

"Alright enough, you have taken children from your country and turned them into something that I would not wish on my worst enemy. You think that you can just get away from that? I don't think so." Click and another building goes "boom". "Your property damage is nothing compared to what you have done to them, and as far as I am concerned you can take your threats and shove them. You deserve everything that you get. How could you even attempt to do that to your own children? You are a sick perverted bastard you know that? And I am looking forward to making you pay for all you have done." I heard his intake of breath

"You know nothing about my family Blaze. And I will get you for this." He says.

"I think you will be a bit busy cleaning up your mess to worry about me for a while. But you better be looking over your shoulder for me." I heard an angry yell in the background, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and then a female scream. "You had better not be taking this out on Rosa, because if I find out that you did, no one will find all of your pieces." And I disconnect the phone.

"I think you just stirred the hornets nest there Blaze." says Hawk.

"Good. He makes big mistakes when he's angry. But that had better not be Rosa I heard in the background. I'll have to call her later and see if she is okay. If that bastard thinks I'm not serious about this he will be very sorry." I say to them.

"Glad you didn't hold back any with his buildings. It makes it easier to eliminate those to search for the missing children. But wow, you have an evil smile when you are blowing things up." Tank says. "I can't believe the guy would do something like this to his own kids. It just makes me want to rip him apart."

"Well you will get a chance to do some ripping tonight there Big Guy, so just hold those thoughts. I think we should figure out the best way to go about getting Escobar tonight and then John and Isa out of the safe house. I still have some more phone calls to make to get Maricela and the kids set. How about we take a break for a bit and head up to the rooms. Rico give me a call when Garcia has everything set up, we will probably head out about 630pm to make sure we are in place for Escobar. I think I need a little nap before we get to the physical part of tonight. I'm heading up to the room." At that comment all of the guys get up to follow me.

Once back in the room we lock up the room from the rest of the house and I get everything set up. Jeffrey is all set for the two extra guests, the General has taken care of customs and made sure that the plane will not be searched upon either landing and Garcia called to let me know we were all set to get Escobar at the agreed upon location and that back up was there if needed. I had also been able to find out that Rosa was okay and that the kids were at the safe house and their father was none the wiser. Things today had gone smoothly so far, hopefully they would continue that way. But I wouldn't hold my breath; things hardly ever go as planned, especially when I am involved.

(Lester's POV)

Holy shit this was unbelievable, Beautiful handled that situation like a pro. I knew she was fierce, but that was unbelievably hot. I could see the guys all looking at her in awe. She came up with the plan to get Escobar and Rodriguez's kids with no hesitation, she showed no remorse for having to destroy buildings, but instead smiled as each one went up in flames. I think she enjoys being the one to do the exploding rather than being the target. Although she painted a pretty big target on herself today with Rodriguez, but with all of us here I have no doubt that we can keep her safe, not that she needs it. Now we just need to watch out for how Ranger handles her. He at least listened and didn't seem to have too much problem with what she had planned. He may not like it, but this side of Beautiful is amazing, she is calm, cool and confident. I can't wait to see what happens tonight, I feel like a kid in a candy store, I'm so excited. I watch as Beautiful goes into her bedroom to take her nap and find Ranger staring after her. And I decide to approach him.

"How are you feeling cuz?" I ask him.

He looks at me for a minute before responding. "I've been better. Physically I hurt, but I think I am confused the most out of everything." He says to me.

"Yeah I kind of guessed that. She's changed man, and you better take a good look at what she has become, because she won't take your shit anymore." I say to him.

He just looks at me with his blank face in place. If I didn't know him as well as I do anyone would have thought he didn't care, but I could see in his eyes that he was hurting. We all love her, hell I'm in love with her, but I know where her heart is, even if she won't admit it to me.

"What is your relationship with her?" Ranger asks me.

"That's between Beautiful and me. You need to get your shit together man. All the qualities that we love about her are still there, but she doesn't need any of us anymore. She can take care of herself now. If anything that is going to be one of the hardest things for you to accept. No matter what she does that spark is still there, but she won't let you protect her from the nasty of the world. She has chosen this path for herself and look at what she's done man. Nobody would have believed that any of this was possible, but Steph made it happen." I say to him.

He nods in acceptance. "I need to talk to her, but I'm not sure what to say. Two years is a long time man. What if she doesn't want me around anymore? She obviously doesn't need me, you said it yourself. But the two years have just about killed me. I have been on constant missions just to keep myself away from her. I need her like I need air to breath. Last night was the first night I have had a good night sleep since I left Trenton two years ago. I have nothing but nightmares since that day."

I could understand where he was coming from; I've had nightmares every time I thought about her somewhere by herself and that I couldn't get to her. She was the one person that could break me if I let her, but we had an understanding between the two of us, and I wasn't willing to lose the friendship we had. If she ever came to me and wanted a real relationship I would do anything for her and she knew it, but she had told me long ago she wasn't sure if she would ever be truly ready. I knew that Ranger was the reason.

"You need to make a decision about what you are going to do and stick with it. There is no halfway this time. You either need to commit to her or completely let her go. She won't put up with the same bullshit you used to pull, and I won't let you do that to her either. So I suggest you think about it very hard over the next few days and get your head worked out. You have already shown that you still have the ability to stick your foot in your mouth here. So tread carefully my friend, and don't push her. If you screw her over I will be there not only to whip your ass, but also to claim her heart, and she is well aware of it."

At that statement I see the fierceness in his eyes before his slight nod. No more conversation was needed; he knew I was dead serious. He knew before he left how I felt about my Beautiful and that I would probably step forward to be there for her, which I did and we got even closer, but she couldn't give me her whole heart. It saddened me at first, but I haven't given up on her, while at the same time I want her to be happy. I watched as Ranger let himself into her bedroom to take a nap with her. I hope things can work out between the two of them for their sake, but I won't be too far away if they don't.

At 5pm everyone is awake and ready to eat before we need to leave to get Escobar. We have dinner and some lively conversation about the past and play catch up with Beautiful some more. Man she really has been busy over the last two years. Even though I visited with her one several occasions and got to see her in action I still missed a lot. Now I get to see her in action for this new part of her job, well new to us. At 615pm Tank, Bones, Beautiful and myself are dressed in black, Kevlar, our usual weapons plus some extra goodies that Beautiful has brought with her.

She turns to us and asks, "Are you guys ready to do this?" At our nods she continues. "I'll secure the room before I leave to make you guys more comfortable. Hawk knows the codes and how to get in touch with Rico if needed. But the fridge is stocked and you have a sat phone. We will give you a call when we are on our way back. Let's go guys, time for some fun." Leave it to Beautiful to see the challenge ahead as fun. God she's so damn hot.

**More action to come tomorrow and from another's perspective, so it should be interesting! What do you think so far? This chapter was not everything I wanted it to be but if I edited it too much more I was afraid I would have to scrap the whole thing. **


	21. Chp 21 First Half of the Columbia Job

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**First half of the Columbia Job**

(Tank's POV)

We exit the car in front of the restaurant where we are supposed to be picking up Escobar and I'm on edge. There are at least 20 men standing by the door that were looking our direction. My normal reaction was to grab my gun from my holster, but Steph shook me off. She approached the men with a smile and a wave and was enveloped into the crowd. We lost sight of her for a few minutes, but we could hear all of the laughter from her and the men. One even threw her up in the air before holding her and planting her in front of us with a big smile on his face. I recognized him from one of our previous missions down here and knew his reputation. I was amazed that he seemed to have such a good rapport with her; he had always been known to hate women and be a cold hearted bastard. With her, he was just like us; you could see the merriment in his eyes before he walked away. That's the true nature of my Little Girl, she was open and brought life back to those who thought there was nothing left for them. I was in awe of her yet again.

Here we go, I can't wait to see my Little Girl in action; I can't remember the last time that I was this excited about anything. We have been sitting outside the restaurant for the last hour and other than our arrival being announced no one has been interested in approaching us. As we sit here in the car we discuss her interaction with the men when we arrived. I still couldn't get over her comfort level with some of the meanest and most sadistic men I had ever been around. Sitting in the car Steph was relaxed but you could tell that she was aware of her surroundings. After about another thirty minutes our attention was caught by a shiny black sports car, Steph nodded her head that this was who we were expecting and we waited for him to exit his car. The man had come alone like Steph had said he would, not the smartest thing for a government official but if your on the take I guess you figure that there wouldn't be anyone after you, some people are over confident. The man was about half way across the parking lot when Steph signaled us to exit the car and she called to him.

"Jose, I need to talk to you before you go in for your meeting." Blaze called. He froze mid step and just stood there with his body rigid. You could tell her was trying to figure if he could make it to the door before we opened fire. "Don't do it Jose. You won't make it. Now keep your hands where they are and turn around before I shot you in the leg." This should be interesting.

"What do you want Blaze? I didn't know you were visiting us, to what do we own this great pleasure?" Escobar says in a sickly sweet voice as he turns around. The man was just too stupid for his own good. The color draining from his face as he sees the gun in her hand pointed at him.

"Well, let me think a second, there were several reasons I'm here to see you actually, and I bet you know each and every one of them don't you? How about the fact that you gave knowledge to take down a group of troops that were working with your government, and that they were also protected by me? Does that sound familiar?" She shoots him in the left knee and he screams like a girl. "How about that you tried to lure me down here to be eliminated? That you want to increase your income?" She shoots him in the right elbow as she approaches and he wails again at the impact. "Does that answer your question? Or do I need to go on?"

"You bitch. You don't know anything. You will die for this you know? You can't attack a government official and get away from it. The Columbian Government will see that you are executed." Before he can continue his rant through his tears she shoots him again in the shoulder. Damn this is hot. The guy has sweat beading on his forehead as he stares daggers at her.

"Who do you think sent me to get you Jose? Do you think that I act on impulse alone like you, you coward? You sent someone with information after men that were doing a job your government asked them to do. You gave out the information to a piss poor drug runner that couldn't shoot worth shit and he was so quick to give me the information on you that I was after your head would have turned. He was so willing to give up his manhood he basically threw it at me. Too bad you won't have another chance to take me out and give me more of a challenge. You are going to pay for everything that you have done." Blaze says to him in a cool collected control I have never seen from her.

"There is no way the government would send you after me. They need me too much to even think about getting rid of me. The US government has been paying me for years to keep things the way they were." spits Escobar. I don't think so jack ass, as least not as a whole they wouldn't. If I ever hear of someone doing that they will not live too much longer if I have anything to say about it.

"Oh really, somehow I doubt that any US official would come to a weasel like you. You are too willing to roll over on anyone willing to pay you your next big payout. They would need you to keep quiet and you don't have it in you to keep your mouth shut. And you're too stupid to cover your trail. We have the paper trail on who has been paying you and how much for the last two years, you just gave me the excuse to actually make it worth my wild to come after you myself." Ouch, hit him where it hurts why don't you. It's amazing what going after someone's ego can do. As he's down on the ground she kicks him in the ribs and steps on his privates. Man glad it's not me she is going after, she is cruel.

He groans from all of his damage and then continues to speak, "You don't have shit. There's no paper trail; you've got nothing on me. Benitez was a poor choice, but he worked cheap." Well confirmation number one down. What more does he know? It is amazing to watch Blaze work her magic. "Others will come after you and those you love, just like with Ranger." Shit he did know who it was he sent the bastard after. At that she shoots him in the other shoulder and I see her eyes burn with fury. She takes out her knife and stabs him in the leg just outside enough to miss the artery and twists the blade before removing it. That had to fucking hurt.

"And just how did you know who was on that team Jose? Did you meet with them before betraying them? Did you see them on the street? I don't think so. You wouldn't put your face out there because you're a coward of the worst kind. Maybe before I turn you over to your own government officials I should remove your male parts. Since you seem to be limited in that department it wouldn't be much of a loss for you. I am sure your wife wouldn't miss it." The look on his face is so contorted with rage at her comments.

"You stupid Americans always think that everyone in your own government follows their orders. I have spoken with several over the years that have paid for the elimination of their own soldiers. The most recent one was someone who hates you Blaze. He was willing to do anything to get you out of the way, even if that meant getting rid of his best operative. You may want to look close to home for this person if you plan to challenge them, but I don't think you will make it back there. Blackhawk will not go down easily, nor will Johnson." Holy shit; does she know who he is talking about? The names sound familiar but I couldn't place the faces at the moment. Something in the look on Blaze's face showed me that she knew exactly who we were dealing with and she was not happy about it at all. I was proved right when she put another bullet in his other knee.

"Jose, you just gave me all I needed to know. I am going to hand you over to these gentlemen to give you some punishment of their own before we turn you over to the authorities." She turns back to us with fire in her eyes and says, "Have at him boys, just don't beat his face too badly. I want the officials to be able to clearly see who we are turning over to them." Then she walks over to the car and leans against it with her arms crossed over her shoulders and I can see the anger radiating off her. I nod to Lester and Bones to take a turn at him and they approach him with smiles on their faces, as I approach Blaze.

"You okay there? You looked like you knew who he was referring to with the names. They sound familiar to me, but I can't put a face to the name." I see her jaw clench and unclench and the warring emotions on her face.

"Yeah, I know exactly who he was talking about, but I can't get into it right now. Give me a few minutes to calm down and then we can get going. Actually I think I will step inside and get a quick drink before we head out. Have some fun with this ass hole, you've earned it." With a pat to my shoulder she walks away and through the door of the restaurant. I want to follow her, but I know that she needs time, I just can't get over how comfortable here she is with the scum of the earth. If she doesn't come back in five minutes I'll go check on her. Something about her reaction seems off and has me really worried for her, I have seen Blaze in action and work without emotion, but this was a real surprise to her.

I walk over to Lester and see him taking a swing at Escobar's ribs and the guy falls to the ground. Lester steps back and looks at me with a look of glee on his face. "That was amazing; I don't think I have ever seen anyone go at their target that way before. She didn't even break a sweat man. Shit, she got the guy to crumble and spill his guts in less than twenty minutes and no one came to his rescue, and we're in fucking Columbia man." He says shaking his head.

It's true, at the sounds of gun fire there are usually others that come out of the woodworks just to be part of the fight, but tonight no one was around except for those that were in the restaurant. The respect that they show her is unreal, we don't even get that amount of respect at home, and she is an outsider here. My Little Girl has come a long way.

I step forward and get some excess energy out of my system using Escobar for a punching bag. By the time all of us are done with him, he should have some internal bleeding in addition to the bullet wounds Blaze put in him. After about fifteen minutes of exercise I back off to look at the unconscious body on the ground. I look up to see Lester and Bones standing back but still no Blaze. I take my hand cuffs out and pin Escobar's arms behind his back, not that he is going anywhere, but better safe than sorry.

"Hey guys why don't you load him in the car and I'll go inside and get Blaze." I see Lester move forward but Bones stays where he is.

"Tank man, you need to let her come out on her own. She should only be a few more minutes. She just got some news that I think she needs a few minutes to deal with. Give her a chance to get her legs back under her before we move on to the next task." Bones says.

"What news, the two names that this ass hole mentioned? What do they have to do with Blaze? It's not good for her to drink heavily on a mission, you know that and she has a tolerance problem, we need her head in the game." I say to him.

"No man, she has an unbelievable tolerance for alcohol now. She'll be fine and she probably only had three shots at the max. She never drinks more than that during a mission. I can't give you the information on the who, that's up to her to explain, but don't push it, let her come to you with it." Bones clarifies.

Just then the door to the restaurant opens and Blaze walks out with a few of the men that greeted us when we arrived. She turns to them and gives hugs and a kiss on the cheek to each. They all walk over to look at Escobar and before the men turn to leave they each take a turn giving him a punch of their own. Nice.

"Okay lets get him turned over and then on to the next portion of tonight." She states back to her normal self. I'll have to find out later exactly what's going on. We all climb in the car with Escobar in the back with Blaze and Lester in the middle seat, Bones behind the wheel and myself riding shot gun. I hate riding shot gun.

The ride to the meeting point to turn over Escobar was uneventful, Escobar only woke up twice on the ride over and Blaze elbowed him to knock him out again each time. The turn over went quickly, Blaze did all the talking and was thanked and hugged by all present. This girl is unbelievable, now on to the pick up and drop off of Rodriguez kids.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

I knew this operation was going to be different, I just didn't know how different. My sense told me there more players behind all of this, I just didn't know who and now that I do, not only did I feel like my world had been turned upside down, but I was furious. Man were they going to pay when I got back, but before I can get to that I need to get this job done. I need to get these kids to safety tonight and then I can make some phone calls and get my plans in motion. Now the question was, do I do it in the US or do I deal with it outside of the country. So many options to choose from, I'll have to think about it some more. The drinks with my contacts in the restaurant helped to alleviate some tension, but I will just have to push the rest out of my mind.

The turn over of Escobar went smoothly as I expected, I even got to elbow him a few times before the meet. Now onto the next portion of the night, Bones is driving and I was able to relax next to Lester. In all the years that I have known him he has helped me to calm down, today it was definitely needed. I take deep breaths to help calm myself down while Lester rubs my arm in soothing patterns. I look up to him and smile in thanks and he winks at me in acknowledgement. We pull up to the house and the garage door slides up for us to enter. Once the door has closed behind us we all exit the car and walk to the door that leads to the house. I enter the code and slowly open the door announcing myself.

"John, Isa, it's me Blaze I have three other men with me and we're coming in alright?" I hear no response. I pull my gun from my shoulder holster but keep it low not wanting to scare the kids. I check the inside security panel and look to see if they had locked themselves in the panic room as I had originally discussed with Rosa when we set this house up. Once they locked themselves in they would have to be released from the outside with a handprint of someone I had listed in the system. I see that the system has been activated and approach the master bedroom. In the closet behind a bunch of clothes hanging in the there is a small door. There is a panel that has a hand print scanner that I apply my hand to and the door clicks open. Slowly sliding the door open I see John and Isa cuddling together in the corner.

"Hey there guys, remember me? My name is Blaze; I made arrangements with your mom to get you to safety. You can come out now so we can get you changed and then we can get on our way okay?" I ask them before stepping back to allow them space to exit.

"Blaze, our mom told me to thank you for your help. She also told us that we can trust our lives to you. I hope she is right." says John.

"You can John. We are going to get you out of here and I have some clothes that may be a bit large on you, but they will work in the mean time. You are going to stay with a friend of mine out of Columbia and you will be safe, but you will also be able to have some fun while you are there. Let's get you changed so we can get going. The sooner we are out of here the better off we'll be. Here you go." I say to him. I turn to Isa and ask, "Isa, would you like John to help you change or can I help you? I have some clothes from a friend of mine that should be about your size. I need you to dress in black to help hide you in the dark, okay?"

She looks up to me and with her big brown eyes and lunges at me with her arms wrapped around my neck quietly saying, "Thank you for helping us." over and over again. I rock her in my arms and smooth her hair with my hands, while shhhhing her.

"It's my pleasure Isa. I want to make sure you are safe. You are going for a ride on a plane and you will have some guards with you. I need to tell you that I won't be able to get on the plane with you, but John will be there to protect you. Once you get where you're going you'll get off and there will be a man named Tommy that will be meeting you. He's really nice and is like a big teddy bear. You can hang off his arms and use him as a climbing wall, and tickle him. I'll tell you a secret, Tommy is really ticklish behind his ears, so if he gives you a piggy back ride, tickle him for me, okay?" She smiles at me and nods her head yes. Isa takes my hand and we walk into the bedroom to get her changed into the clothes and John stays in the closet to change himself.

Once the kids are all dressed I close up the panic room and reset the system. I look around to gather anything that they brought with them they may need and realize that they really didn't have anything. Before we exit into the garage I turn to the kids to give final instructions.

"Okay you two, I need you to do something for me when we get into the car. I know that you are used to riding in the middle seat in a large SUV, but I need you to ride in the back and lay flat on the floor. John I need you to lie on top of your sister. Make your selves as small a target as possible. This is just to be on the safe side. If we come under fire for any reason you need to stay down, do not get up for any reason. Do you understand?" They both nod their heads at me. "Once we get to the airstrip we are going to run for the plane. The guards will already be on board and you'll be taking off as soon as the doors close so you'll need to get seats as soon as you get up the stairs. If you hear anything behind you don't stop, just keep going for the plane, alright?" They both nod. I see Isa's eyes tear up, but John hugs her close to his side in support. I smile at him and give him a slight nod in approval. "Alright lets go. My friend Jeffrey and his staff know how to reach me if you need anything. I'm hoping to get your mom to you soon, but I don't know how soon that will be. If you need anything Jeffrey and I will make sure that you have it." I got a few weak smiles and we all climb into the SUV.

The garage door opens Bones backs us out and as soon as the door is closed again, we were off like a rocket. The first five minutes of the ride were uneventful, but then all of a sudden we are under fire from behind. With the bullet proof SUV it's not a problem, but we weren't willing to allow them to follow. Lester and I roll down both passenger windows to return fire. After two clips had been exhausted the first of our tails had been crippled and came to a stop on the side of the road. However we now had three more tails on us.

"Bones take alternate Route C. It's bumpy, but will take us far enough from our destination that we can dispose of them before we get close to the airstrip. Lester, in the bag at your feet I have some new toys. Pick one and use it, but I get the rocket launcher." I smiled at the grin on his face as he pulled out the new guns. I pull out the rocket launcher and ask Bones, "hey Bones let me know when we are at the next straight shot. I want to make sure I don't waste a shot. I only brought four rounds for this thing."

"Sure thing Blaze, glad it's dark out here. They might see it coming." He says with a laugh.

"Hey at least you'll get a good lights show in the rear view mirror." I say to him.

"After this next left we will be heading straight for about the next two miles, however be careful of the bumps. If I remember right they are pretty big in this stretch." Bones says.

"Perfect. Tank you'll want to grab something out of the bag as well. Lester will need to reload in about the next two minutes at the rate he's firing." I say.

"Sure thing Blaze, I'm always up for trying new toys." Tank responds with a smile.

I heard Isa whimpering under her brother, "Isa you are doing great honey. We are almost there, just hold on a little longer. Cover your ears to protect them from the noise." I set my sights on the car in the lead tailing us and fire, within seconds the SUV is exploding and one additional SUV runs right into the burning vehicle. In a matter of minutes there is another explosion from the gas tank exploding from the second SUV. Two down one to go, the firing has stopped, but we're ready to take them down. Lester aims for the grill on the car and somehow on a bullet proof vehicle makes the cars engine explode. "I'd love to know what you hit on that vehicle, because I have no idea how that happened unless it wasn't bullet proof. That shouldn't have happened." I say shaking my head. He just grins at me.

"Lucky shot I guess, but I won't complain, at least their off out tail now." Lester shrugs.

"We're coming into town now, be prepared incase there are any additional cars waiting for us. Tank it looks like there may be some coming at us from the headlights I see on our right." Bones says.

Both Lester and Tank turn back toward their right guns ready for an attack. I turn to the left just to make sure we are covered there as well. We found that we were attacked from both sides as we travelled through town. Luckily Rico likes to have his cars ride a bit higher than most and the spray of bullets that would have been at the height of the window only hit the mid panel of the door.

"Glad Rico thinks ahead when he has his cars serviced; the added height is a life saver." I said and the guys agreed readily.

We made it through town and ended up with another two tails on us. I pulled my rocket launcher out again. "Bones are we on a straight shot again?"

"No the next two miles are nothing but turns. I'll let you know when we have the longest straight shot of the turns so you can shoot." replies Bones. About three minutes later I hear him call, "after the next turn you should have about 30 seconds to shoot."

"Thanks." I get myself set to aim as soon as we complete the turn. Once the turn was completed I aim out the window and fire as soon as the first tail completes their turn and the second SUV is halfway through with no chance to change direction. The rocket hits and both tails are taken out; however I hear gun fire coming from Lester and Tank. Apparently we were under fire from the right side again. Since we were in a warehouse district I grabbed a grenade out of the bag, pulled the pin and then lobbed it out my window over the top of the car toward the attackers. I pull a second grenade and it follows the first one. Once both have gone off, all gun fire stops. Bones speeds up our vehicle and we are propelled to the airstrip with no further issues. After another ten minutes we pulled up next to the plane and Lester and I jumped out to get John and Isa.

"Okay kids come on; it's time to get on the plane." As we run to the plane I remind them, "Remember what I said about getting in contact with me. My friend and his staff will be able to get a hold of me any time if you need me. John take care of your sister and yourself." We get to the plane and the kids run up the steps. I nod to the guards that were sent by Rico, the doors close and Lester and I move back to the SUV quickly. The plane is on the runway in a matter of two minutes and up in the air a minute later. At least they will be safe for the time being.

Climbing into the SUV, Lester and I prepare for another onslaught on our return trip to the compound. Luckily we only came under fire again passing through a village and we were able to quickly take down our attackers. Finally reaching the compound we are able to breathe a sigh of relief. Pulling up to the garage Rico and Garcia meet us next to the SUV as soon as the garage door closed.

"Well it looks like you had an eventful evening. Did everything go smoothly?" Rico says with a smile.

I grimace at his comment. "As well as could be expected, by the way, I think I am going to have all SUV's lifted like this one. The spray that would usually have been at the windows, hit the mid panel instead, none of us even have a scratch on us." I state flatly.

Rico looks at me for a minute, "You okay?"

I smile sadly at him, "I will be. The kids are safe and on their way, Escobar is full of bullet holes and was unconscious when he was delivered, and pretty beaten up. Hey Garcia, you didn't tell me that Miguel would be there at the restaurant. That was a nice surprise." I say with a smile.

"I thought you'd enjoy it. Did you end up drinking with him again?" he asks with a smile.

"Yeah, he wanted another shot contest, but since we weren't done for the night I had to pass. I promised him a rematch another time." I smiled.

"Make sure I'm there for it. I missed the last one and I heard it was great entertainment." Garcia chuckles.

"No problem, he's going down, be my guest. Alright I'm tired and I need to make a few calls. I think it's time to head up to bed. See you two in the morning Rico? Around 7am again?"

"Yep, and I'll choose some different music for tomorrow. Sleep well Blaze." Rico says.

"Something up beat please. See you in the morning." I say to both giving each a kiss on the cheek.

Rico grabs my elbow and whispers in my ear, "I can tell you got some bad news tonight. If you need to talk you know I'm here for you, but I won't push." At my nod he releases my elbow and I walk off with the guys to our rooms.

We made our way quickly to our rooms and I immediately open the doors so we can all walk through and I can secure the security system again. Bobby, Hawk and Ranger all turn to look at us as soon as we walk in the door. I walk to the kitchen to grab Bones, Tank, Lester and myself a bottle of water before I speak.

"Mission accomplished tonight." I say flatly as I walk to my bedroom and close the door behind me and lock it. I had some phone calls that I needed to make in private.

I pulled out my sat phone and hit speed dial one, the call connected in the first ring, "Yes."

"Escobar has been taken care of. Delivered and damaged, but identifiable and breathing. If he doesn't continue to breathe that's their problem."

"Very good. Any news on the other front?" the General asks.

"Yes. Johnson was a leak for the Ranger's. But that's not all, so was Blackhawk."

"Well this should be interesting. Blackhawk has been out of the loop for a while. How do you want to handle this?" he asks.

"I want them all picked up and held until I get back. I will be calling in extra help for my family." I state.

"Understood, do you want them local, or sent somewhere else? I can have them discreetly picked up tomorrow."

"Make it local, but off shore. I also need a list of recent contacts for Blackhawk. It's possible that there could be old contacts being brought in for this, not just new ones." I comment.

"I can have it taken care of and will get you the information tomorrow or the day after at the latest. Be careful down there, your almost done." He says.

"Yeah, this just makes it more complicated." I sigh.

"Don't worry. Not many know all of the stipulations in your contract and there are only three people with security clearance to access your file. So there is no way the information can get out. That's a good thing." He says.

"Well, Rodriguez is in a frenzy to put out the fires I started earlier today. He will be so confused when we go after him it shouldn't take too much time to finish this." I say with a smile.

"That's good news. Keep me posted and I'll get things taken care of on this end. Get some rest."

"I will, thank you." I say and the call is disconnected.

Next I take my business phone and hit speed dial 1. The call is picked up on the first ring. "Glad to hear from you tonight, now I can sleep." Says Alexander.

"You'll sleep better than me, but yes everything was completed tonight. The only issues we had were getting the kids to the airstrip. Although they were lousy shots, none of us have a scratch, but that is probably due to Rico's lifted SUV, all the spray hit the mid panel. We should lift them all at home, honestly it makes sense and I hadn't thought about it before." I chuckle.

"Sounds like a good idea. Are you alright? You sound defeated." Alexander says.

"I feel like it too, but I'll be fine. I need to have my grandmother, Valerie and her family put in a safe house outside of Trenton until I get back. I got some information tonight that complicates things a bit, and I would rather be safe then sorry." I explained.

"We will take care of that first thing in the morning. Anything else I can do for you?" he asks.

"No, for now that's it. Maricela and her kids are already with Jeffrey, John and Isa are on their way now. The next thing to do is put Rodriguez out of business for good. Once that is resolved I can deal with this latest issue. I knew something was up before I left. Sometimes I hate my instincts." I sigh.

"Whatever it is we'll get through this. We are all here for you, you know that." he reminds me.

"Yes I do, and thank you. I should eat something before I go to bed, we just got back. Tell Adrian I said hello and will try to call him in a day or two. Sleep well Alexander" I said.

"I'll tell him, get some rest and talk to you soon." he says and the call was ended.

I sit on my bed for another minute with my phone in my hand. I look around the room and spot a vase that I purchased the last time I was here and walk over to it. I pick it up and toss it up a few times in my hand before I launch it against the wall next to the window, making a very loud crashing sound. Almost immediately the guys are banging on my door.

I walk over to the door, unlock it and step out into the lounge, "I'm fine; a vase had a run in with the wall is all." I state as I walk past them, all of them wearing looks of confusion, with the exception of Bones who looks at me with pity in his eyes. I shake my head at him slightly and he nods in return. I walk into the kitchen to get some fruit and crackers to eat and lean up against the counter looking down at the floor staring off in my own world.

Once I finished my food I decided it was time to go to bed. "I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning. We're meeting with Rico at 7am again. Get some sleep." And I walk past them to my bedroom with no further acknowledgement and close the door behind me.

**Okay, so who is after her now? Any ideas? What will the guys think? Will she tell them everything?**


	22. Chp 22 Preparations to Attack Rodriguez

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**And a special shout out to: Margaret Fowler, Wanda517, Ziandra2010, FairTaxGirl and Dikent for your ideas. Look for some of them to come true, but I won't tell you when.**

**Plan of attack for Rodriguez**

I finally gave up on sleep at about 4am. I'd been tossing and turning all night long and I was getting more and more frustrated the longer that I let it go on. I finally decided to just get up and go out in the lounge. It was empty, but just sitting down in the dark was better than laying down trying to sleep. I was having trouble getting my thoughts to settle down and knew that it would be better to think about what our upcoming work would be. By the time the guys all joined me; I had gone through my normal morning routine, was dressed and had the coffee ready for them. They must have been able to tell that I was on edge as none of them tried to talk about what I knew they wanted to know. I just wasn't ready to go there yet, if I even had to at all.

At 645am we all walked down to Rico's office once again and the music was blaring. I shook my head slightly at the selection of music, more Latin music, but with a more sultry nature to it. As we walked into the office Rico grabs my hand right away and twirls me away to the open space he had enlarged. Rico led me through a different Salsa and then a Mambo, but insisted on finishing up with a sexy Bachata, which the old me would have blushed at, but today I let my mind go with the music and let him move my body anyway that he wanted to. By the time we finished our dances I was more centered and ready to get down to work.

"Did that help some?" Rico whispered in my ear.

"Yes, thank you." I replied with a small smile and then turned back to the guys and sat down on one of the couches. I noticed that some of them were shifting in the seats trying to get more comfortable and snickered to myself. "You know guys, anytime you want to dance let me know. It's a great stress reliever." I heard some groans to accompany my last comment.

"Maybe later Beautiful." Lester smiles at me, which I return.

"Alright, last night went rather smoothly. Nothing we didn't expect or weren't prepared for. How should we go about handling Rodriguez? Any ideas?" I ask them.

"Well, have we confirmed where the girls are being held?" asks Tank.

I pull up my laptop and log in to my programs to check the properties that are known to be held by Rodriguez so we can eliminate the ones that we knew were not possible targets. "Okay we put a big kink into his holdings yesterday as about half of his properties were "Damaged". There are five others left, but that doesn't account for the locations that I would almost bet he has them at. I set off the alarms at these locations yesterday as well, but they were not all evacuated, so that was why they're still standing."

"Damaged? You call the complete leveling of his buildings Damaged? I would hate to see what you consider Destroyed!" chuckles Lester.

"A big hole in the Earth, would be "Destroyed", the attack on him yesterday would take a while to rebuild, but they can rebuild. "Destroyed" to me is they would have to find a completely different location for a rebuild." I say flatly.

"Okay then. How about we check out the site that you previously leveled that you think would be the primary choice for this operation." Tank says.

"What type of landscape, besides jungle is there?" ask Ranger.

"The surrounding area is mainly flat, but heavily wooded, well except for the two square miles of it. Let's look and see if we can tell if they brought in more vegetation to cover it up, but I would assume that they didn't. It would take too long and I don't think that he figured I would look there again. He's an idiot." I say.

"Most definitely for challenging you, but I wouldn't underestimate him. Even stupid men have their moments. And sometimes the most brilliant ones can be stupid." Ranger says. "We should keep our options open; I would hate to think that we let anything slip through the cracks. I would like to see if we can find the records of where he sent all of the previous girls so that we can have the possibility to return them to their rightful homes."

"I agree with that. For our sake I hope that he's kept good records. Rico, do you know of any new properties that Rodriguez has acquired in the last five months?" I ask.

"I hate to say this, but I have no idea. One thing that came to mind was that he might be using properties of those that he was keeping on his payroll. Escobar's properties are a possibility." Rico says with a grimace.

"Shit. I hadn't thought about that. If he was willing to accept money, why wouldn't he help with the work?" I hang my head slightly. This may take longer than planned.

"Rico, would your men be willing to go into properties and search for missing girls if we can confirm locations? If we can confirm that there are more than two locations we will need extra teams to go in at the same time so that we can get everyone." I say to him.

"That shouldn't be a problem. None of them would want to see their children go through that. They would probably volunteer for the work before being asked." Rico states.

"Okay good. The sooner we find these locations the quicker we can act and I really don't want to wait until another team gets down here. Hey, you know, maybe Miguel and his group would be willing to help as well." I comment and notice Tank stiffen in his seat.

I look at him with a questioning gaze and he replies, "I don't think a group of frightened girls would be put at ease by him Blaze. Many don't relax in my presence because of my size; I really doubt that they would in his since he is bigger than me."

I smile at that, "You'd be surprised Tank. I've seen him with children and they gravitate to him. But if it would make you uncomfortable to work with him we can find another group that might be available. I just want to make sure that we have enough bodies to get this done all at once. Getting the girls out is only part of the problem. We have to be the ones to eliminate Rodriguez."

Ranger was staring at Tank during our exchange and I noticed that his eyes widened before he looked at me. Tank got his attention and gave him a simple nod showing that they once again had their ESP working. "There is no way that we can work with him. There is too much history there. I can't trust him and neither can my guys." Ranger says to me.

"Ranger, if he works with us, he will be on another team and you will have no contact with him I assure you. We need the man power, and if that means Miguel and his crew then that is what we have to do. This is bigger than just us here." I state firmly. "When I spoke with him last night, not only did he challenge me to a rematch, but he also offered his assistance to me." I looked at Rico and noticed the smile on his face.

"You want to do that here? Garcia would love it, and with Maricela out of town I wouldn't have to worry about her complaining about the clean up." Rico smiles with glee in his eyes.

"I'll think about it." I say shaking my head. "I don't know if we'll have time. I may just make a special trip down here for it."

"What kind of rematch?" Ranger asks the tension rolling off him.

"A drinking game." I say flatly. I noticed his eyes widened and then began to turn black with anger. "So we will probably have enough men. Let's see if we can find out some information on other possible locations. I'll go make a few calls and see if I can come up with anything. Rico, can you check on the locations of Escobar's properties? I can pull them up on the laptop and check to see if there are multiple heat signatures. There shouldn't be too many people in any of his properties outside of cleaning staff and his wife and kids. And we all know that they can't be in more than one location at a time." At my request he nods and walks over to his desk to make some calls.

"At some of Rodriguez's larger properties I have more explosives already in place. If we need we can have some dropped on him, but I really don't want to get that involved if we don't have to." I stand up as do the rest of the guys and we walk back to our rooms.

As soon as we're back at the room I grab my phone to start making phone calls and am grabbed by my elbow and pulled into my bedroom. Looking up to see who grabbed me I see the angry face of none other than Ranger. As soon as we are in my room he slams the door closed and glares at me.

"Would you mind telling me why you just manhandled me into my room and slammed my door? I really don't appreciate it." I say to him calmly.

"It's bad enough that you deal with the likes of Gutierrez, but Miguel? What is your involvement with him and why are you going to play some kind of drinking game with him? Do you know what he is capable of doing to you? Do you have any idea of what he's done to people?" He asks through gritted teeth.

"Yes Ranger, I am well aware of what he's done and is capable of, actually I have seen him at work before, so nothing you tell me could surprise me about him. As far as the drinking game that is between him and I. I don't need to explain myself to you or anyone else." I say to him trying to remain calm.

"You could end up dead, I won't let that happen. You won't be using him to help with this, he's too dangerous and can't be trusted. He's turned on his own before, what makes you think that he won't do it to you?" He spits at me.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think that I would honestly put myself in a situation that would guarantee my death? That may have been the old Stephanie, but not any more. You chose to walk away and I won't blame you for that, but don't think for a minute that I'm exactly the same person that I once was. Like I told you before Ranger you may think you know me but you don't, at least not anymore. You don't know what I've been through in the last two years, the only guys that have any real clue would be Hawk and Bones, since they were on several missions with me, but they won't tell you anything because they can't. I've seen my share of ugly Ranger and I have come out stronger, without loosing the essence of who I am, but that doesn't mean that just because you come back in the picture that you'll be able to dictate what I do and who I'm involved with personally or professionally." I glare at him. I pull my arm from his grip and he just stares at me. "If we need Miguel's help we will use him. He's not that much different from you Ranger. There is good in everyone, and I have seen it in him, whether you choose to admit it or not. Just because someone does evil things, does not always mean they are pure evil. Whatever your opinion is at this moment, we will just have to agree to disagree."

"I would never think you were stupid. I trust you with my life, but you will have to understand that I'm running blind here. I've had a very different experience with each of these people than you. I formed my opinions long ago about them, and they are damn hard to change. I don't want to make things difficult to complete this mission, but I'm having trouble separating the practical with the emotional response, and you know I never show emotion. I have never been in this situation before. I don't want anything to happen to you. If you were killed I wouldn't survive." He says angrily.

"Well you need to get those emotions in check, just like I have to. Where is the infamous control you have? You need to step back and get some distance. This is why we need to have this discussion after our work is done. Getting emotional is not good for our team, just accept that I know what I am doing, you may not like it, but that's what you have to do. Stop with the macho bullshit." I say to him.

"Babe, where you're concerned there is no such thing as distance. Even in these last two years you've not been far from my thoughts, wondering where you were and what you were up to. When I got your messages it made it harder for me to keep my distance from you, that's why you got such short answers from me. It wasn't that I wasn't proud of you, I just couldn't acknowledge that you were doing it without my help." He explains to me almost sounding defeated.

"You really need to stop right now. I can't do this, especially not today. You either need to go in the other room or I will. We have work to do and this is not helping things." I say looking straight at him.

"I know something is upsetting you and I want to know what it is." Ranger says flatly.

"Not now, if ever." I say to him and walk out of the room.

A few hours later and we had confirmed the locations of Escobar's properties and we were looking up the heat signatures on the laptop. We had four different locations that were possible spots for the kidnapped victims to be held. We had decided to call in some help, much to the displeasure of some of my team, but they'll get over it. None of the extra help would be working with us at our location. Rico had found a few other properties that Rodriguez had acquired, but none seemed to fit the needs he would have to hold any hostages. So we were keeping our plan of attack on his known properties, which was better for us. I had schematics for all of these and hopefully Rosa would be able to give us a better idea.

"Beautiful, we need to see if we can eliminate some of these locations as soon as possible. Can you see if Rosa would be able to do that for us?" Lester asks me.

"Sure thing." I pull out my phone and turn away from my laptop that I had been working on for the last two hours and dial her number.

"Hello?" comes a quiet feminine voice.

"Rosa, is that you?" I ask her confused as to why she is speaking so low.

"Yes, but I can't talk long, he has me under lock and key and they check on me every 20 minutes. Since he realized the children are gone he's become very violent, but at least he's not here currently. He's been busy working on calming things down. Apparently you did quite a job yesterday." She sighs.

"Well, I had to make a statement and create a big enough diversion to draw his attention so I could get the kids out; they're safe by the way. But I need to see if he mentioned any locations where he might be holding the girls to you. We have a number of locations, but nothing concrete. Has he said anything to you?" I ask her.

"Nothing to pin it down, but he did say you probably wouldn't find it. He mentioned something about fixing something that had been damaged previously, but that was about it." Rosa whispered.

"Did he say anything that might give you an idea of the area it might be in, a warehouse, the jungle, maybe property that doesn't belong to him? Anything could help." I remind her.

"He did say something about being spread out, so I would guess that would mean more than one location." Rosa stated.

"Do you know if he keeps any paperwork there at the house, or if he keeps all of his records of site?" I push.

"No. I have no idea of where he keeps him records. He usually works away from the house and he's been gone so much over the last several months during the day that I doubt it's here. I can't imagine that it would be too far away though, he was always back here by about 6pm." Rosa whispers.

"Okay thank you. How are you? Has he hurt you any more? His men aren't hurting you are they?" I wanted to know exactly how much I needed to hurt this bastard and his men if they did.

"Other than initially smacking me around, no he hasn't touched me, but I honestly don't know how much longer that will be true. He's angrier each time I see him. Just be careful when you are dealing with him, I won't hold anything against you for what you have to do, but I am concerned for your safety." She says to me.

"No need to worry about me, I have a great team with me and I can take care of myself. I don't know how long this will take, but hopefully not too terribly long. We will try to get you out of there as soon as possible." I say to her.

"Thank you. I have to go, they will be coming in any second and I need to hide my phone so they won't take it from me. Good luck." and the line goes dead.

I close my phone and look at the guys, "By what she was saying I still think that the site we destroyed previously is his main location for his business. It is not far from where they live, so he could get to and from their house quite easily and quickly. As far as his records, she doesn't think they are at the house, and that he doesn't really work from there, so the records must be at another location, hopefully where the girls are being held."

"Do we have a way of finding an inside source for his business? With the connections that you have is it possible to find someone that might give us information?" ask Tank.

"We could try, but at this point he has done a pretty good job of hiding all of this business from me. Before the General called me I had no idea this was going on, so that tells me that he's keeping it to a very select few and I bet that those are all people that are completely loyal to him. I would hate to put out feelers to see where they are and tip him off to our attack. Rodriguez gets stupid when he's angry, but as a business man he is very smart. He keeps his crew small, to prevent leaks, but he has some great contacts, but mine are better and I have more. We will have to look when we get there. The idea is to obliterate the organization, so anyone outside the hostages needs to be taken down. They have all been working in this sex trade and all should pay for their crimes. The only one that we need to do our best to make sure stays alive is Rosa." I say to them.

The guys looked at me with their blank faces for a minute. "You want to take out everyone but the hostages? You don't want to figure out if any are innocent?" asks Bobby.

"Do you think that any people that would be in the presence of these hostages don't know what's going on? These girls are being raped, beaten, drugged and then sold to the highest bidder. Do you really think anyone around that would be innocent, or would give you a straight answer? I want to make sure this is shut down. I don't want someone else stepping in and taking over a business that is already set up. If we can get all the people that are involved then we will have succeeded." I respond.

"Babe, are you willing to just accept that some innocents are possibly going to lose their lives when this goes down?" Ranger asks.

"Yes." I state without hesitation. "Ignorance is not the same as innocence, but if you want to think that way that's up to you. For the greater good and the safety of those girls that have been held and those that have been sold, all that are involved need to pay. These girls should not have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives and their families should feel like some sort of justice has been served, even if it has to be at my hand."

Ranger looks at me searching for something, but I'm not quite sure what and then he nods his head at me. "In that case, let's check out the feed on the different properties, this should help us narrow it down. Depending on the size of the location we will be going into, how many people do you feel should be on each team?" He asks me.

I move over to my laptop and find the locations that we had listed. What we found went along with what I had figured previously, my past bombing target seemed to be the main center of activity. Rodriguez had rebuilt some buildings but they didn't seem to be that well built. I should have guessed that, he built these in a crater without filling any of the hole. Idiot. He was able to avoid attention, but the quality of work suffered for it, which would work to our advantage. The locations Rico had found owned by Escobar two of the four were found to be possible holding sites. For vacation properties, they were awfully close to one another and had an awful lot of activity, especially since his wife and kids were at their home and there was constant activity at these two locations. These fit the profile that we were going with as well, large homes, with basements, lots of bedroom and isolated, they were also fairly new construction within the past year or so.

"So how do you want to play this? I think teams of six should go to Escobar's properties. It may be over kill, but we won't be sure how many are guards and how many are the hostages. These teams will be made up of my contacts; they can get the girls to safety and arrange for medical care. They will also have no problem taking down anyone within the locations." I state. "I think that we should be the group to go to the primary target. We have better training and can move quicker and quieter. From there, if Rodriguez is not present we will be moving to his home and taking down his security as well as him, this is where Rosa is being held as well. Our objective is to take him down and hopefully save her, but she new what she got into, Rodriguez will more than likely kill her if he finds out she and I have been in contact since the kids were removed. And if she double crosses me I'll be the one to put a bullet in her, she knows I will make sure her kids are taken care of, so if she goes down she doesn't have anything to worry about."

"Why does she know you will take care of her kids Blaze? How can she have that much trust in you?" asks Tank.

"One of my stances is to protect children from harm, emotional or physical. That's why I am taking this a bit more personally than most missions. I was pissed that I wasn't contacted about this in the first place when the General gave me the information. This would have been resolved quicker, sorry Ranger. I'm not saying that you did bad work, just that with the connections I have it would have been resolved and we would have prevented more shipments of girls being shipped once the US Government found out about it, you wouldn't have been attacked and you wouldn't have lost a good soldier in the process." I say to them.

"How could you have done it quicker? I have only been working on it for the last two months." He says incredulously.

I look at him with my blank face. "And how long did it take me to get Escobar and find out inside information on this mission? How long have I been here Ranger?" He stares at me. "Did you find the other locations that girls were possibly being held at? Had you found the main location that was being used? Were you able to get anyone to tell you much about this organization?" I ask still looking blankly at him.

"Damn Ranger, she's right. We've only been here two days and this will hopefully be resolved in another day or two. Plus we will be taking out everyone involved not just the head guy and his security detail. Beautiful, that's awesome. You're better than he is." Lester laughs earning a glare from Ranger.

"Face it Ranger, I was able to get information you weren't with little to no time spent doing it. The only reason I wasn't here instead of you was because I was already dealing with another issue back home." I say flatly. "And I already have some weapons in place for our main target." I turn back to the guys.

"Let's go talk to Rico and see how many guys we can get from him to help and then I will call and set up the extras that we still need. We can have a meeting with all involved here tonight and then get this taken care of tomorrow night and hopefully be on our way home the next day." I get a bunch of nods of agreement and we walk downstairs.

A few hours later after talking with Rico and making some phone calls we had our teams made up and everyone was present for the meeting. Interesting group of men I must admit. A team of six US Army Rangers, a group of Drug Cartel guards, and a group of six Arms Dealer sentries, we made quite a scene. We had divided up which group would go to which location and what was needed to be done and the equipment that would be involved. Rico had two doctors on standby for tomorrow at a local clinic that was secure and could handle any medical needs for girls that they were able to rescue. Miguel also had two doctors, at a hospital ready to go plus two medics to be on site in case of heavy damage since they were going into the property with the most heat signals. Since Bobby and I both had medical training we were going to be doing any needed medical care in the field and would be transporting the girls we found to either the clinic or the hospital depending on the severity of their condition.

I look at our group just to reconfirm the plan of attack, "So remember eliminate any and all persons on premises at your location. The only ones coming out alive should be your team and the girls you rescue. I'll need you to recover any computer equipment at the locations and bring it to me. We want to see if we can track down those that were already distributed. Once the computers are recovered take these explosives and set them off. Make sure that you are at least a half a mile away before you set them off, I put a lot of kick in them. The remotes will be active tomorrow starting at 6pm. Remember you are with your own team, so watch each others backs. We will be taking them by overwhelming force so there should be limited damage to us, but you never know."

"Yeah, especially with you around Blaze." Garcia chuckles.

"Laugh it up wise ass, you already had to start a new streak for bullet free days, I'd hate to see you have to start counting again so soon. I didn't even get a scratch on me and I've seen more action." I smirk at him.

"Come over here and I'll show you action Blaze." Miguel challenges, I notice that Ranger tenses next to me.

"Is that a challenge Miguel? I'd hate to mess up your hair." I wink at him.

"Blaze you wouldn't know how to take me down, you're just a bitty thing. I'd throw you across the room." Miguel smirks back.

"You think? I don't know, you'd have to catch me first." I say as I advance on him. I feel all of the guys tense behind me as I approach the biggest man in the room. He meets me in the center and every one of the guys from Miguel's group and Rico group step back except for Rico and Garcia who are wearing the biggest smiles possible.

"I bet you she has you down on the floor in less than five minutes Miguel. She may be little but she certainly is mighty." Garcia offers.

"No way man, she's going down. And then I am getting me rematch she promised me last night." Miguel states shaking his head.

"I want to see it this time man, I missed the last one." Garcia states. "If she pins you, you owe her man."

"Sure I will, but it ain't gonna happen man." Miguel states.

"Are you going to keep talking or are you ready? I want this fair so I get what's coming to me Miguel." I say to him.

"Oh you'll get what's coming to ya. I can promise you that." Miguel states with a smile.

"Alright I'm holding you to that." I launch myself over him using the couch to vault upwards landing behind him and before he can turn around I kick him in the back. He stumbles forward from the blow in surprise and turns into my punch to the stomach and then an elbow to the cheek once he bends over. He was off balance from the elbow hit so I was able to sweep his legs out from under him and he lands on his back, jumping in the air and landing on him with my elbow in his stomach he curls up into a ball and I am able to get him on his stomach and tie his hands together behind his back before he ever has a chance to even attempt a blow to me.

"Holy shit" I heard Lester exclaim.

"Told you she'd have you pinned in less than five minutes, man that didn't even take two. Now you get to pay up." Garcia laughs.

I notice Miguel's men staring at me with wide eyes. "Any of you guys want to try?" They all shake their heads quickly no and look back at their boss. I release Miguel from the restraints and help him up. He looks me up and down while shaking his head.

"Damn Blaze, where have you been all my life. You're better than any of the roomers going around. I need you to show me some of your moves, that was just down right embarrassing." Miguel smirks.

"No one here is going to hold it against you. Remember, just because I'm smaller than you doesn't mean I can't kick your ass." I smile at him. He gives me a hug and then playfully throws me over his shoulder and plops me down on the couch he was originally sitting on and sits next to me. I looked over at my guys and smile at them as I lean on Miguel. "Enough playtime." I chuckle. "Are we all set for this tomorrow night? Everything will start at 8pm. As soon as it's clear for you to enter the location do so quickly and quietly. Call in when you have completed your task and head to the hospital or clinic. Any questions?" I ask them all and get a round of "no's" in response. "Very well then I believe we are good to go. Get some sleep and we'll see everyone tomorrow after the completion."

I stand up and Miguel follows suit. We walk over to Rico and Garcia together, "Thanks again for all of your help guys. I really appreciate it." I say to all of them.

"No problem, I wouldn't want anything like this to happen to someone in my family. I'm glad to see that you're going after the girls that were already sent out. I can't even imagine what their families are going through. I'll see you all tomorrow." Miguel says giving me a hug and kiss to the hair, then shaking Rico and Garcia's hands. Miguel turns to leave with his team, glares at Ranger, and then Garcia escorts him to the door.

Rico dismisses all of his team and we say our good nights. "See you in the morning at 7am Blaze. What type of music slow, medium or upbeat tomorrow?" Rico asks.

"How about you surprise me? I'll be up for anything tomorrow." I grin at him. "Goodnight Rico."

"Goodnight Blaze." Rico calls.

The guys follow me back to our room and we get the security set. I give all the guys a kiss on the cheek and a hug goodnight, saving Ranger for last. I look up at him and say "Night Ranger." Walking toward my bedroom and noticing the guys are all still in the lounge I turn back and say, "You know Ranger, we need to work on your people skills. There seem to be a lot of people that really don't like you." I see his eyes widen in surprise as I step into my bedroom, but he says nothing, but I hear snickering coming from some of the guys.

**Okay so I am going to take Friday and Saturday off of posting. Depending on what I get written I may post a new chapter on Sunday. Hope you all liked this entry. Have a great weekend!**


	23. Chapter 23 Payback Time Part I

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**And a special shout out to: Margaret Fowler, Wanda517, Ziandra2010, FairTaxGirl and Dikent for your ideas. Look for some of them to come true, but I won't tell you when.**

**Payback Time Part I**

(Steph/Blaze POV)

When I woke up this morning I still felt like I'd just went to bed. Looking at the covers I know I must have had a fitful night sleep, because I just couldn't get my mind to shut down. Too many things were going on and I was having trouble picking a subject to stick with. Sighing, I got up out of bed and threw the covers back and headed for the shower to get my head centered on our activities for the day. We have work to do and it won't help to have my mind a million miles away. In the two years that I've been doing this job I've never felt this at odds with myself. As I step under the hot water and lets the heat warm and sooth my muscles I start to feel better, become more focused, more goal oriented for today's activities. Rodriguez will pay for what he's done to these children and I will make sure of it tonight.

After a day of continued planning and strategizing we are finally ready to get our plan in motion. Rodriguez won't know what hit him. All three teams are in place and heavily armed, ready for what could be a hard battle ahead, the excitement bouncing off of everyone was palpable before we split up. Adrenaline junkies, yes we are. I use my computer to block all signals from any of the locations security systems and cell phones to alert Rodriguez for help. As my team sits on the outskirts of our target location we team up and walk the remaining distance. Bones will be up as our sniper, Lester and Bobby, as well as Tank and Hawk will be going after the location from the sides and Ranger and I will be going right down the middle. Trying to be as silent as possible in a jungle we approach and wait for the sun to go down completely, not a sound is coming from the location. At exactly 8pm I hear the sound of Bones sniper rifle taking down the guards on the edges of the target. Two minutes later Bones gives us the clear so that we can advance. Bones stays in the tree to watch our backs while the rest of us move in to take down the guards and anyone involved on the inside.

As soon as we reach the side of the first building we hear a round of gunfire from Tank and Hawk. Ranger and I quickly proceed into the building to take down anyone in our way. As we walk quickly through the building we are fired at from all directions. Ranger and I both drop down and hit opposite sides of the room taking out anyone in view. Within two minutes the gunfire here stops and we quickly progress further into the building. We take the stairs to the next level and are quickly under fire again only this time there is no good place to take cover, I quickly stand in front of Ranger when I see a man step down the stairs in a Kevlar vest and point his weapon straight at Ranger who had his back turned. I use both my guns to put bullets in between his eyes and crotch. We are then able to move forward again. This time when we are attacked it is hand to hand. Ranger being injured was at a slight disadvantage, but you never would have guessed it, he moved swiftly and took down his two assailants, I took down my three quickly and we put bullets in all them just to make sure they stayed dead. Moving on we get to the next level, opening the door what we see before us makes me want to vomit. There is a room full of children, girls between the ages of eleven and fifteen years chained to the beds that you would find in an old style hospital ward. No walls for privacy, dirty sheets and covers, some with blood on them. Quickly looking around the room we see no guards present, but I know there are some here none the less. I make eye contact with one of the older girls and she moves her eyes to the right letting me know there is one that direction and then repeats the process to her left. Ranger and I look at each other and nod before stepping through the doorway. Almost immediately upon entering the room shots are fired in our direction. Ranger takes the right I take the left and make quick work of the men that attacked. I snapped the neck of the man that was in front of me and then relieved him of his weapon spun around and shot the guy approaching me from behind between the eyes. Ranger was still fighting the two men that attacked him, so I shot the one closest to me in the leg and when he dropped I shot him in the back. Ranger was then quickly able to take down his second attacker by snapping his neck. With a slight nod we got back to work.

Looking around the room there were about fifteen girls and we began picking the locks on their ankles. Some were in what looked like decent condition, a few others were badly beaten, and many had track marks along their arms. After getting the girls freed we had to begin to move them. I started to speak to the girl who warned us about the guards.

"My name is Blaze. What's you name?" I said softly.

"Lia. Thank you for helping us. I want to go home." She says in a whisper.

"We need to get all of you out of here. Can everyone walk? The quicker we move the better off we'll be. Do you have any shoes?" I noticed that they didn't have shoes on, and they were also only wearing long t-shirts, nothing else.

"No shoes and no other clothes. Everyone has been able to stand up today that I know of. The beatings came earlier today so we have had a chance to rest from them." She starts to cry and I begin to rub her back.

"Lia it's okay, I need you to help us with the others. Can you gather up the girls and tell them to follow us? Do you know if there are any other girls here that we need to get to?" I ask her hoping that the answer will be no.

"There is another building that has another group of girls like us. They have been moving us back and forth depending on our behavior. The other building has some medical supplies to clean us up before they send us away." She says to me.

"I radio to the team, we have a group of fifteen here, it sounds like there should be another fifteen or so in another building. Bones, call Rico and telling him we need more vehicles here, we will never be able to get them all out in ours right now. There are way more than we expected." I comment.

"Affirmative" Bones replies. Hearing gunfire on the distance through the com I look at Ranger.

"We need to get them out of here, but it doesn't sound like the guys are having as much luck as we did. I need you to get these girls set and take out anyone that enters this room. As soon as everyone is taken down I'll come back for you and them." Turning to Lia, "Is there another door to this room?" She shakes her head no. "Okay I'll be right back."

Before I take two steps Ranger grabs my arm and looks in my eyes. "Be Careful. Don't go crazy." That brings a smile to my face.

"Don't get shot." My automatic reply and he smiles back.

I turn and leave the room to quickly assist the rest of the team. I get to the outside and see guards running in all directions. Amazed at how disorganized they are, I take out my second gun and fire at all of them in close proximity, taking down about seven men before even getting into an open space. I'm quickly attacked from behind, but the sounds of foot steps alerted me to their presence allowing me to drop, roll and shoot my three attackers who now have shocked dead expressions on their faces. Quickly returning to my feet and moving forward I hear Bones, "Blaze, around the next corner is Tank and Hawk, they are surrounded by ten guards. I have a clear shot of the ones closest to me; you need to handle the other five to the North."

"Got it. Here we go." I look around the corner and aim my weapon. "Tank, Hawk drop now." They do at the same time and Bones and I are able to take out their attackers and radio the clear for them to stand back up. Tank gives me a nod of thanks and we are off to the next building. This building seems a bit less stable than the first which makes it hard to stay quiet with the floors creaking. 'Rodriguez you cheap bastard' I think to myself. We are attacked from all directions when we enter and we split up. Tank across the room from Hawk and I. We make quick work of these guards and head towards the stairs without any further attack. We reach a room similar to the other building and slowly open the door. Finding a similar situation, but there are fewer girls in this room, only about six this time. These girls have slightly better clothes, or at least have shorts on with their t-shirt, but still no shoes. No guards are present in the area. Looking closer at the girls it is very apparent that all were high on some kind of drug and not very active. I move to unlock the ankle restraints and talk to the girls.

"My name is Blaze, we came to help you. I need to know if you can walk." I get no response in return. She doesn't even look at me. I try to touch her shoulder and she doesn't react to that either. So I try grabbing her elbow and lift her and she follows along. I try another girl and get the same response. I look at Tank and say, "I think we are going to have to take two each to get them out of here, they can't respond due to what ever drug is in their system." He nods. "Bones how does it look outside?" I ask through the com link.

"Bobby and Lester have taken down the rest of the men outside. They are looking for the computers as we speak." Bones replies.

"Ranger, has there been any more activity over there?" I ask.

"Negative." He replies.

"Alright, let's get these girls out of here. Can you get them to follow you? There are six here heavily drugged and non-responsive."

"Lia is helping keep them calm, but I think if you can get back here that would be better. They need a woman's touch, they won't come near me," Ranger responds.

"On my way," I turn to Tank and Hawk, "Let's get these girls up to the meeting spot and I will go back for Ranger and the other girls." They both nod. As we make our way to the exit I take out two packages that I have prepared and left one in the middle of the building. Hawk just smiles at me as we proceed through the building. We come upon two more men that are quickly taken down and we exit the building. Picking up the pace, even trying to drag two girl a piece we made good time getting them to the meeting spot.

"Hawk, you stay with the girls, Tank follow me in case we have any more run ins. Plus we may need more help with this group." He nods in acceptance. We approach the building with caution and opening the door find another group of four men ready to attack us, I smile evilly and shoot for where it hurts, but not kill right away. All four men are on the floor howling in pain holding themselves. I walk up to them and at close range put a bullet between the eyes of two while Tank takes the other two. We smile at each other and drag their bodies out of view of the exit door, hoping to prevent anymore mental harm coming to the girl at the sight of more dead bodies.

Quickly making it to the room holding the girls and Ranger I notice there are two men standing outside the door trying to set a bomb. Looking at each other quickly we silently approach them and without any reaction from the men their necks are snapped. I quickly look at the bomb and deactivate it. Well, it looks like there will be a bigger explosion than I had planned, but oh well. Wondering to myself, 'how much more firepower do they have here'. Surveying the area for more men, before entering we open the door slowly and call to Ranger. He quickly comes into view with a tense stance; I look around the room and notice that the girls are all off in a corner huddled together.

"We're clear. We need to get moving." He nods as I approach the girls. "Lia I need your help to get these girls moving. We are going to get you out of here and get you all checked out by doctors. Stay close to us; we will protect all of you. These two men with me will not hurt you. I will make sure that you are safe." Looking around at the scared faces of these girls I see a few familiar faces. 'Thank God' I think to myself. These girls are some of the Columbian Government officials' children. I check my com link, "Bobby, Lester are you all set? We need to go."

"Good to go, Blaze. All the equipment has been seized. So far we haven't had much of an attack over here." Bobby states.

"Watch your self when you exit the building just in case." I state. "Bones, are we good?"

"Clear at both exits." Bones states.

"Good, let's get out of here." I take another package and leave it in the middle of the room. I take the front and have all of the girls follow me out, with Ranger and Tank pulling up the rear. At the middle of the building I leave another package and continue to the exit, stopping to check for any more attackers on the way out. With another all clear from Bones, we carefully head out of the building and quickly make it across the dark open space with only a few more fired shots from Bones and we are at the meeting spot with Hawk and the remaining six girls. Shortly after we arrive Bobby and Lester are there with a stash of laptops. Hopefully this will have the information that we need.

"We need to get further away before I set off the charges, they had more explosives at the location and I don't know how much, I don't want to take any chances. Let's head back to the vehicles and we can set it off from there." I say.

"Will the remote work from that far?" asks Tank.

"It should, but if not I can log into my laptop and set them off that way. I have some extra firepower I can use that way as well. Since we are going to blow it, we may as well make it big right?" I chuckle. "If there is anything left I will have the place bombed from the air as well, but I don't think that will be necessary. Where our vehicles are will be plenty of distance between the blast and us." They all nod and we head out.

Meeting no resistance on our way to the vehicles, even with the girls walking without shoes and some of them being heavily drug, we were able to make good time, and get all of the girls into the transport vehicle that Rico delivered for us. Now we had an extra vehicle which was large enough to transport 12 girls plus a medic, in this case Bobby and I would each need to ride in one a piece. Each of my guys would need to drive a vehicle, and one of Rico's guys would drive one of the transports. None of my guys were very happy with this part of our current plan, but we needed to get out of there. Once everyone was settled in I set up my laptop again and set off the charges. With the satellite visual I was able to watch the charges do their damage. The explosion made the ground shake beneath our vehicles, even though the explosions were more than five miles away. I looked at the screen with a very large smile on my face knowing that this portion of the job was completed. Watching yet another explosion that I created go off gave me a sense of satisfaction that I never thought I could feel. It was for the greater good.

Our vehicles were quick to leave once the charges were set off, to get us to the hospital while Bobby in his vehicle and I in mine checked over the girls. Of the girls that I had, none seemed to have any broken bones, only bruising and several cuts. However it was not necessarily the physical evidence of what they had gone through that was my main concern, they would have years if not their entire life to have to deal with the horrible actions of their captures. Rodriguez's men had raped, drugged and beaten these girls repeatedly. Some of these girls would not look me in the eye, while others were more than willing to give me hugs and a thank you for rescuing them. I was glad that I was able to help them, but angered at the same time that this had occurred at all. These girls shouldn't have had to suffer this. Now we just need to get them the help they all need and I am going to make sure that Rodriguez's life comes to an end tonight.


	24. Chapter 24 Payback Time Part II

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**Thank you to suedesigns101 for reading this ahead of time and giving me the encouragement I needed to get up the nerve to post the story. I truly appreciate it.**

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Payback Time Part II**

(Ranger's POV)

From the time that we arrived at the compound my Babe was in absolute control. She showed no sign of fear or question. She knew what was ahead of us and that it was dangerous and was ready to take on the danger with her head held high. I don't think that I had ever been more proud of her. God she was beautiful. When we arrived and split up I knew we had each others backs, but I had no idea that she was that good. She took out more men than me with no hesitation; she gave clear orders and did not deviate from the plan. She moved swiftly through the gunfire and we seemed to mirror each others actions. I never thought I could've met someone who would equal or surpass my skills, but my Babe had definitely surpassed me. She took on more men hand to hand than me and took out men that I was fighting once she had taken out her own. It was amazing to see her move like a jungle cat through each obstacle that was in our way. Once we had finally made it to the room with the girls she went from battle mode to the soft and comforting Babe I used to know. She was able to comfort the girls and keep them calm after we had freed them from their restraints. The conditions the girls were in were disgusting and their physical conditions were bad, but not the worst they could have been. Mainly it seemed like bruises, and everyone appeared to be able to walk, however they were so traumatized that they wouldn't look at me, and would move away from me as soon as they were free.

Checking in with the rest of the team my Babe had to help the others and I was forced to sit and wait, not something that I was used to doing, but she knew what she was doing. I kept thinking of what it would be like to work with her all the time and hoping that she would accept me back into her life. I was pulled from my thoughts with Babes voice and we decided that she would come back to help us get out since the girls were terrified of me. Moments later there was noise coming from the door and I had the girls move to the corner of the room so they were as far from the door as possible. After a few minutes the scratching stopped and it sounded like there were a few thuds before a few more scratches and then the door slowly opened and I heard my Babe call to me before entering the room.

We moved quickly from there, after she left a package in the middle of the room with an evil smile on her beautiful face. We moved quickly through the building and out to the meeting spot. In all we had twenty one girls, it was unbelievable, and this was not even the whole group, there would be more to meet us at the hospital. Rodriguez was going to pay, and painfully. We made our way to the vehicles and I was amazed that no one on our team had any injuries. I had never been on an op where we came under that amount of gun fire and no one had even been grazed. I was in absolute awe of my Babe. I just need to be able to tell her that.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

Arriving at the hospital took a bit longer than I had hoped since we needed to be careful of the girls and their injuries, plus their fear had not helped matters. The group I had with me was not that bad, but the group with Bobby was terrified and we attributed that to the fact that he was a male. We didn't know what some of the girls had been given so we were hesitant to give them any sedatives until they had been seen by a doctor. Once we arrived I hopped out and spoke with the nurses and doctors waiting for us. Explaining that they would feel more comfortable with female assistance, some of them grumbled, but others were completely understanding of the situation. All the female nurses available were brought out to help and the girls were quickly brought in to the hospital. As the girls were being off loaded I noticed Miguel standing near the entrance to the hospital. I approached him once all of the girls had been moved inside.

"How did it go? Is everyone okay?" I asked him.

"All of those girls were drugged so heavily that they had no idea what was going on. They were walking around like zombies. Their clothing was in good condition, but they have a tremendous amount of track marks up both of their arms." Shaking his head to clear it he continues. "We basically had no resistance; all of the people involved seemed to be caregivers, but no security. I think they kept the girls so high that they didn't have to worry about them escaping. There were five total that we brought in. How about you?" Miguel asks.

"If this wasn't such a serious situation I would have said it was fun. I lost track of the amount of men that were taken down, but there were plenty. All have been eliminated and the compound has been leveled and then some." I say to him with a smile. "We had a total of twenty one that ranged in age of eleven to fifteen and all in different physical shape. Most seem to be bruises, cuts and track marks, but I fear the lasting effect is going to be emotional. The girls that were in the truck with Bobby on the way over here were terrified of him and we had to stop a few times to calm them down, otherwise we would have been here sooner. Let's head inside and see how things are going."

We walk through the doors together and see doctors and nurses scurrying around from room to room. The amount of girls that we had here at the hospital was unimaginable to all of us. We needed to get in contact with their families, but they all needed to be cared for first, that was priority number one. As Miguel and I were walking through the hall you could see into various rooms. I found Lia's room and stopped to see her since there was no medical staff in with her. I grabbed Miguel's arm and told him I would be right out and he nodded to me.

Walking in Lia noticed me immediately and smiled. "I wanted to see if you had been seen by anyone yet. How are you feeling?"

"Thank you so much. I've seen a nurse, but not the doctor yet. I'm okay, but I really want to go home. I miss my family so much; I never thought I would see them again." She says to me.

I sat down on the edge of her bed. "There's no thanks necessary, this shouldn't have had to happen. We need to have you looked over completely before we can call your family, but hopefully they will be here tonight or first thing in the morning. Can I get you anything right now?"

"No this bed is just what I needed right now. Will I see you later? I know you have other girls to check on as well." She says dropping her head.

"Hey there, you are the first one I wanted to see because of how brave you were. You helped to keep those girls calm and helped us get everyone out. You deserve a lot of credit Lia. Remember none of this was your fault, you were taken advantage of, you have nothing to be ashamed of, I'm very proud of you, and I will make sure that your parents know that too."

At that comment I received a huge smile and noticed tears streaming down her face. "Thank you." Then she hugged me tightly before letting go.

"I have to check on the others, but I will be back to see you shortly, okay?" I ask and receive a nod in return. I stand to walk out the room and turn to see her staring at me. "I promise that I will be back before I leave tonight." And I walked out of the room.

Miguel and I continue down the hall and noticed that things seemed to be settling down a bit. As we walk past a few more open doors with medical staff in them I notice Miguel's body stiffen and he stops dead in his tracks looking in to the room on my right. I quickly look into the room and see one of the girls that had been heavily sedated from our site and look back at him in question. 

"That is the daughter of one of my men. She was supposed to be on a trip with friends." He says angrily. I see his fists ball up and the rage is seeping from his body. "They were celebrating something with a trip that had a guide, but I hadn't heard anything about them missing. I don't have all of the information, but I'll call and find out."

"Miguel, wait until we know more about her condition, if they don't know she's missing it may be better to wait. It looks like she has been sedated and won't know they are here anyway. When we have a better idea of what's going on we'll call." I say to try to calm him.

This does little to pacify the large man. He is almost at a boiling point right there in the hospital hallway. I radio to the guys over the com link since we left them in just in case, "Guys I have to get Miguel out of here for a bit, you need to stay and look after the girls. I'll let you know when we're back." I grab Miguel's arm and pull him towards the exit, there is no need for him to explode in the hospital and cause more damage. As we are walking out there are two of his men close to the door and I tell them to come out with us.

"Babe, it's not safe for you to leave alone with him, you need someone with you. I'm coming too." I hear Ranger in my ear.

"Not a good idea for you to be around this trust me. For your safety send Lester or Hawk. They can watch my back we also have two of Miguel's men, but we will be fine." I say back to him and notice Lester and Hawk both coming towards the door as well. We all exit the building and find an empty spot in the parking lot.

"Miguel I know that you're upset right now, but I need you to calm down, you aren't going to do these girls any good this upset." I say looking straight at him. I get no response; he's still trying to maintain his anger. I look at one of his men and nod my head at him. "Man you need to blow off some steam, but you need to take off your weapons. We have your backs." I see him slowly start to remove his guns and hand them over to me. "Let's work off some of that anger and then we can talk about what to do, alright?" He nods in response.

Seconds later Miguel is working the crap out of his man. Punches, kicks, throwing him to the ground, the man had little to no chance to defend himself. And in a matter of minutes his man is down for the count. His second man is quickly taking his place fighting his boss after taking off his weapons. I was glad to see there was no hesitation in his response to step in and fight his boss, this man showed real loyalty. I was able to pull the first man away from the current fight and check him over, seemed like he had a broken nose, broken arm and would definitely have a concussion, plus some possible broken or cracked ribs. His face was cut up pretty severely and there was blood all over him, but he would live. The second guy was holding his own, doing a better job of avoiding the punches and kicks to allow Miguel to use up some extra energy. I could see the anger starting to drain from him as the fight was slowing down. About twenty minutes later Miguel had his man knocked out on the ground. There was still anger, but it was a much more controllable rage than before. I checked out his second man and he had more bruises on him than any major damage. He had a black eye and blood was streaming out of his mouth, probably a few cracked or broken ribs as well, but nothing that he wouldn't heal from. We called for hospital attendants to take them in and check them out thoroughly while we talked.

Lester and Hawk were still outside with us and I could tell that Lester was a bit on edge, since they didn't quite know what was going on. "Let's head back inside and we can talk." I say to all of them. I get quizzical looks from Lester and Hawk, but shake them off from asking questions.

I take Miguel by the arm and pull him back towards the hospital, looking for an empty room. The waiting room was empty so we entered there quickly. As soon as we were in the room Miguel speaks up, "I need to be in on the takedown at Rodriguez's place. That bastard has to pay for this." He states flatly, no emotion in his voice.

Looking him straight in the eye, "Miguel, I don't think that's a good idea. You are too close to this. She may not be yours, but you feel responsible, your emotions will cloud your ability to think clearly." At this his fists clench ready for another fight.

"I will be there, I need to be there, and you know this." He says with venom in his voice.

"Can you control yourself? Can you get your anger under control? We are all angry at what these girls have gone through, but can we take the risk of someone on our side getting hurt or killed because you have to prove to yourself that you can take care of this? If you can show me that then I will see what I can do, but I won't put my teams' life on the line for you to prove something. I have to look at the bigger picture, their safety comes first." I say to him.

"That bastard deserves to die for what he did. He knew he was taking children of government officials and other organizations. He took children from my organization, I can't let that go." He says angrily.

"Miguel, he will pay, but you know that he has his wife there at the house. I'm trying to get her out alive, she knows the dangers of what is going to happen, but she chose to stay with him. My hope is to get her back to her children, but I know that is a long shot, Rodriguez would rather kill her than let her walk away. The plan has to go as we have set it up; I can't willingly introduce a new variable into it without absolute certainty that it will be a positive effect, not negative." I say to him.

"Blaze you know that when I have a goal in mind I let nothing stop me. That man will die by my hand and tonight." He says looking me directly in the eye.

"I will ask you one last time, can you control your anger? Without your word I will not take you with us. You will be working with the Ranger's Miguel, not against them, do you understand that?" I ask him.

"Yes." He says without hesitation. "I will follow your lead; this is too important an issue to have any problems. You will have no problem with me."

"Fine, I will see what I can do. I'll switch up our teams a bit and then we can move forward. I will let you take him out if we have the opportunity. If one of the other teams gets to him first and he's taken out you are out of luck understood?" I ask him.

"Yes, I at least need to see that he's dead. I may need to put a few extra bullets in him just for good measure though." Miguel says to me.

I smile at that. "I would expect nothing less from you. Let's check on the girls and then get ready for the next faze."

At that we walk out of the waiting room to check on the rest. Lester comes up behind me and says, "Ranger isn't going to like this. I don't like this. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Yes. I know what he can do, I've seen it before. He just needs to get his focus, he'll be fine. We'll have to adjust the groups though. Since Miguel will be with me, it would probably be best if Ranger wasn't, I don't want to take any chances. I'll take Hawk and Ranger can be with Tank. You stay with Bobby, Bones will still be sniper." I say to him as we walk down the hallway towards our guys to explain what is going on. I know they are not going to be happy, but oh well. I look at Hawk and he nods in acceptance of this current situation.


	25. Chapter 25 Payback Time Part III

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**Payback Time Part III**

(Ranger's POV)

Things were going smoothly once we reached the hospital that was until my Babe informed us that she needed to step out with Miguel. I felt every muscle in my body tense up. When I offered to go with her she told me 'no' for my safety. What is that? I can take care of myself; it's her I'm worried about. I have no idea what's going on. The only thing that helped me calm down even a little was that Lester and Hawk were going instead. We couldn't hear what was going on outside and I was growing more and more uneasy with each passing minute. Tank broke me out of my thoughts.

"Man you have to trust her. She can take care of herself and she knows how to handle Miguel. You saw it yourself last night." Tank says to me.

"Yes I did, but the situation was definitely much calmer than this. He could do some pretty good damage to her before Lester and Hawk have a chance to help her. Plus they have two of his men with them. That's an even fight, numbers wise, but size wise they all tower over her." I state flatly.

"Which if you haven't noticed she uses to her advantage. She knows how to handle him. Besides last night you didn't see them when we were waiting for Escobar. She knows him and it seems like she knows him pretty well." Tank comments.

At that I stiffen, how well did she know him? Had she been intimate with him? I didn't really have any clue as to what her personal relationship with any of these men were. I didn't think she would do that, but I noticed that she was different, but how much different I didn't know.

"Not that way idiot! Man, you look like a jealous fool. I meant she knows how he reacts well. Jesus, you really need to get your head on straight. You saw how she has handled these last couple of days, calm and collected, professional and above all else in control. I have never seen a planned mission go as smoothly as this has since she arrived. Things could have majorly been screwed up and you need to accept that she has changed, and from what I have seen it's for the better man." Tank states with frustration.

"Yeah, but she's out there with a group of South American Arms Dealers. You mean to tell me that you're comfortable with that?" I ask him.

"Not exactly comfortable, but I know that she can handle herself. If there's anything they need they will call us you know that." He states matter of factly.

I nod my head in agreement. That was true, but that didn't mean that I had to like it. At least we wouldn't have to worry about being around Miguel that much longer. We would be leaving for the next portion of this op as soon as we heard about how the girls were doing. It had come to our knowledge that there were another three girls found at the other location and that they also were heavily drugged and not under guard. That rescue had gone smoothly as well. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Rodriguez for what he had done. I saw My Babe, Lester, Hawk and Miguel walking down the hallway and did not like the look that I was seeing on Lester's face. Something was up and I knew I wasn't going to like it. My Babe motioned for us to meet in the empty waiting room and I felt like I was walking to my doom.

Before turning to us my Babe whispered something to Miguel who shook his head and exited the room. "Alright, we have a new development and I need you to understand that I have chosen to go with the easiest solution to the problem. You need to trust me, but I know you aren't going to be happy about it. Miguel will be going with us tonight on the take down." She starts, but before she can finish that thought I cut her off.

"There's no way we can work with him. We can't trust him; he would turn on us at his first opportunity." I state angrily, the tension in my body is skyrocketing. No way will I work with that man. "We stick to the plan that we already have. It's the safest way to handle this situation."

"Ranger you need to put your personal opinions of Miguel aside. If we don't take him with us he'll find his own way to get there and cause all hell to break loose. I will not put any of our lives in danger like that. I told you this is the best option and I took it." She says as she looks me straight in the eyes.

"No way. There's absolutely no way we'll be working with him. This is not up for discussion. He's dangerous and he will get us all killed." I state.

"You have two choices Ranger, work with me, the guys and Miguel or stay at the compound with Rico. It's you choice. Any of you that choose not to work with him that's fine, but you will be staying at the compound, not going after Rodriguez. Tell me now if I need to get a new team together, because I'll need to fill them in on the plan that we came up with. This is not up for debate." She says.

"How can you do that? You're willing to put your life on the line for the likes of him? I won't let you do that." I say to her.

"You're forgetting who is in charge here Ranger. I've gotten along without you all this time. This op will be no different if you choose not to help. It's up to you, you have your options. What will it be?" I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. This couldn't be happening; she was choosing an Arms Dealer from South America over me? This wasn't supposed to be how this went. We were all supposed to work together. How can I trust an outsider that's tried to kill me in the past?

Hawk interrupts, "I'm with you Blaze. I have no issues with working with him as long as you're lead."

Then came Bones, "I'm in as well, no worries from me. I trust you."

I looked at Tank, Lester and Bobby and glared at them, they wouldn't choose this way, would they? They have been with me since Basic training. No way would they turn on me.

Lester speaks up, "Beautiful, while I don't trust Miguel, I trust you and I will be there. If you trust him I can work with him." To say that my own cousin would follow her lead instead of mine was a shock. What was the HELL is going on here?

"Blaze I will be there to get this bastard under your command. You can count on me." Tank agrees. HOLY FUCKING SHIT! Have they all lost their minds?

I look at Bobby and I see him waiver. My Babe speaks up, "Bobby I know this is hard, if you don't feel comfortable let me know, I'll understand and won't hold it against you. I knew this was going to be difficult for you all to accept, but I at least thought you would listen to the reasons before you turned me down. Ranger has clearly made his choice." She says the last comment looking directly at me. "This is not a test of loyalty to me. If you are that uncomfortable and don't feel that you can follow through with this I understand."

"Is there something else you haven't told us? What is the reason that Miguel is insisting on being a part of this op?" Bobby asks.

"Yes, there is, but someone," looking directly at me with a glare, "decided it was better to react first and ask questions later. You know Ranger sometimes when you do things like that I wonder how you can be so good at your job. Isn't it usually better to get all the facts and make an informed decision, rather than jumping the gun? Honestly you're acting like any idiot. Where's the infamous control that you supposedly have, huh?" I narrow my eyes at her at that statement. No one has had the balls to call me an idiot in this context in as long as I can remember. I'm starting to feel like a scolded child. She returns her attention to the others, "One of the girls that we found at our location was the daughter of one of his men. She was supposed to be on a trip with a group that was led by a tour guide. He hadn't heard anything about them missing so first it was a shock to him. Then he was angered by the fact the Rodriguez not only knew he was taking government officials children, but also the children of other organizations. Miguel needs to feel as though he needs to make up for this by taking care of the problem. If we don't include him in our plans, he will take his own group of men and attack Rodriguez before we get there, which honestly would be bad. I explained about Rosa being there and the need to try to get her out safely, but that if she doesn't make it she understood the risks. Honestly I don't think that Rodriguez will let her escape, I think he will try to kill her either before or while we are there, before we get him. Miguel understands that he may not be on the team that gets to Rodriguez first, but he needs to verify that he is dead, if it only means that he gets to put a few extra bullets in him that's fine as well. He knows the big picture is to not only to put Rodriguez out of business, but to also end his miserable life. He will not go after any of you, he will keep his anger in check and he knows what I can do to him if he doesn't. He won't test me." She looks at each of us.

Honestly, now I feel like an idiot. Funny that I'm agreeing with both her and Tank in this instance, I do need to get it together. I'm only digging a deeper hole for myself with her. I want to hang my head and ask for forgiveness, but I can't, I guess my pride is too much.

Bobby comments, "Well I guess if I were in his place I would want the same thing. I can work with him, I may not be one hundred percent comfortable with it, but as long as I'm not partnered with him that will be fine." My jaw wanted to drop to the floor.

"Alright, since we are down a man from our original team I will partner with Miguel, Tank with Hawk, Lester and Bobby, Bones will be the sniper. This way no one that is uncomfortable with Miguel will have to worry about him. With that settled I will make arrangements to have Ranger taken back to Rico's compound." She turns to me, "You have the codes to get into the room and you will need to stay there by yourself until we get back. I'll call and have one of Rico's men pick you up." And she turns to leave.

"I won't be left behind Babe." I state to her.

"I won't work with someone who is acting like a spoiled child when they're told something that they don't want to do. If you are not comfortable with Miguel you will go back and wait for us. I won't take a chance with anyone's lives, and that includes Miguel's whether you like it or not Ranger." She says to me without turning around. She starts to walk out of the room again.

"I will be there to make sure that everything goes as planned, you will not be leaving me out." At my comment she turns to glare at me, as well as all the guys on our team.

"I didn't choose this Ranger; you did by throwing a temper tantrum. You said there was no way you would work with him. You said there was no way that he could be included in this before you had the facts. Don't put this on me you stubborn ass." She growls at me.

At first I am taken aback by her statements, and then I realize that she's absolutely right. I'm the one that created this tension. I'm the one that put my foot down whether I had a right to or not. "I won't be staying behind; I will be there tonight to take down Rodriguez." I state.

"Which makes you more uncomfortable Range, being at Rico's compound alone, or working with Miguel?" She asks me and I just stare at her.

"Fine, play your stupid silent game, you can come but you are with Tank. Hawk your with Miguel and I." She turns to Tank and says, "You better keep him in line." And with that she exits the room.

All of the guys are glaring at me. "You fucking idiot, you couldn't just keep your mouth shut?" Asks Lester. "She warned you that you wouldn't like it and you jumped on her anyway. How fucking stupid are you?" I just stare at him.

"You do realize that you just dug yourself a deeper hole with that stunt, right?" asks Tank. I glare at him, but I know he's right. Things had gotten better this evening working at getting the girls safely out and now she was pissed at me and it was all my doing, but I still couldn't admit it to them.

"Where is your control man? You flew off the handle before she had a chance to explain what was happening. You acted like a two year old." Says Bobby.

"I have none when it comes to her, you know that. That's why I left in the first place." I admit in frustration.

"Well, what a great way to earn back her trust dumb ass. You better keep yourself in check while we're out there, because if anything on our end goes wrong you're going to be the one blamed." Lester snarls at me.

"Don't worry about me I'll be just fine. Let's get this shit done." With that I stalk out of the room into the hallway and I see my Babe and Miguel at the other end talking. The fury that I feel for this situation is palpable. I need to get my head in the game, we'll be leaving shortly and I have no intention of being the cause of any problems.

(Steph/Blaze POV)

The nerve of that man trying to tell me what I can and can't do. Who does he think he is? This isn't Trenton and I'm not the same Stephanie that he once knew. Open your eyes dumb ass and come to terms with the new me or get the hell out of the way. I walk out of the waiting room and head toward Miguel who is staring through the window into the room of one of the girls. I can see the sadness on his face and want to give him a hug to make him feel better, but I know that this is not the time or place. Others see this man as a scary and evil man, I agree to a certain extent; I've seen the softer side of him, that's why I agreed to his being a part of this op. Also keeping him with me will assure the others that I trust him. Whether Ranger likes it or not, he will have to accept this.

"How is she?" I ask him as I approach.

"No change so far." He drops his chin to his chest. "I know this is going to cause some problems for you, but I have to be there."

"Don't worry about it. It's taken care of. We are all set to leave in about thirty minutes. Can you be ready by then?" I ask him and he nods in agreement. "Okay you will be going in with Hawk and I when we get there. We have one sniper and three teams at separate entrances. I will shut down his security system before we enter. We will be taking everyone out again; they are all loyal to Rodriguez. That's one thing I have in common with Rodriguez, we expect 100 percent loyalty without question. The only one that we will be trying to save is Rosa, but like I said before, she knew the risks of staying when I could have gotten her out and she chose to stay. If she gets caught in the crossfire then so be it. The bad thing is I still feel like Rodriguez will attempt to take her out before we get him if he hasn't already."

"It sounds like him. The man's a heartless bastard. Where are his kids?" He asks me.

"Safe, and out of harms way. Rodriguez was trying to do the same thing to his own daughter." At this comment Miguel snaps his head to look at me. "That's how Rosa found out about his new business a few days ago. He was trying to get his daughter alone, Rosa and John wouldn't let it happen. Apparently he was also trying to get John involved in the business as well, but hadn't had any luck." I finish.

"That sick bastard, his own daughter? Now he really deserves to die, not that he didn't before! To bad you can't die more than once." I chuckle a little at that comment.

"Okay well we'll be heading out soon. I'll see you in the parking lot. Don't forget to bring all of your Kevlar. I have some extra weapons if needed." I get an eyebrow raised at my last comment and shake my head. "Hey, I had to say it, that way I wouldn't blame myself if something happened to you." At that he nods and returns his gaze to the window. As I turn I see Ranger staring at us with a blank look on his face. I swear he better keep his mouth shut for the duration of the evening before I haul off and beat his ass, injured or not.

Just over an hour later we are all ready to get this show on the road. We stopped about two miles away from Rodriguez's home compound and try to hide our vehicles them best we could off the side of the road. After using my laptop to disable the security system, and all loaded down with what seemed to be enough ammo to set off a major explosion we start our walk to the compound. We split into our groups and Bones takes the lead so he can pick his spot that will give him the best spot to cover us. We all proceed to our spots where we will be entering the compound. Tank and Ranger to the left, and Lester and Bobby to the right, Hawk, Miguel and I will be taking a direct line to the main house. After fifteen minutes of waiting and several shots from Bones later we have the all clear to move in.

All of our weapons have silencers on them so we can be as quiet as possible, but that itself is difficult with the number of bodies that we were dropping left and right. We cleared the main corridor in less than ten minutes and got the all clear from the other two teams as well. Miguel was at my back and Hawk to my left as we moved swiftly through the living spaces. The downstairs was cleared with little to almost no returned fire. The three of us moved like a well oiled machine, as we had a mission and we all knew what needed to happen next. We headed for the stairs and were able to clear the first two bedrooms before shots were rapidly fired at us. We all dove for cover and were able to get our attackers down with shots to the legs and then to the head once they were on the floor.

Waiting before we stood to go further we listened for any noises, of which we heard none. We stood to move forward slowly, and before we got to the bodies of those we just took down I caught a glimpse of a shiny wire very low to the floor. I held up my hand to stop our progression. "Trip wires on the ground as you come closer to the master bedroom, watch yourselves." I say to everyone. I look for where it leads, and follow it behind a cabinet in the hallway, glancing behind the furniture I see a small bomb attached to the back ok of it. I quickly move around to disarm it so we can continue our forward progress.

As we reach the master bedroom door I double check to make sure everyone else is in place and get all affirmative responses. But before we can proceed there is screaming coming from the bedroom and it sounded like it was Rodriguez.

"How could you betray me like this? You let her take our children, you gave them information on me. You are MY WIFE! YOU ARE MINE! How could you do this to me?" The sound of flesh hitting flesh.

"Go now" I whisper into the com link. And we all burst into the bedroom. The scene in front of us is so horrific that I have to keep myself from vomiting right then. The next thing you could hear were multiple gunshots being fired.

**Alright I won't be posting on Thursday unless it is late in the day. Since the kinds are out of school this week we finally broke down and got a babysitter so my husband and I could go out to dinner and a movie. Nice huh? Can't remember the last time we did that. Anyway, I will be posting later on Friday and then into the weekend to make up for it. Let me know how you like it so far. This story is coming to a close, but the new one will start shortly after picking up where this leaves off. The title will be up in a few days for the new story. **


	26. Chapter 26 A Job Well Done

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next. **

**A Job Well Done**

(Steph/Blaze POV)

As the sounds of gunfire ended the realization of what was taking place in the room started to set in with each one of us. The looks on the guys' faces, even well oiled machines, mercenaries, looked a bit green. I had seen some horrible things in my time as a bounty hunter and then in my current role as Liaison, but this was something unto itself. I had to shake my head to clear the fog that I felt in my head. Once silence fell in the room I stepped forward into the room to take in my surroundings completely. Rodriguez lay still at my feet with at least ten bullets in him, his eyes open but lifeless. At this sight I was relieved that he could no longer harm anyone, but deep down I had wished that we could have been here a bit sooner. I take a step away from Rodriguez and raise my head to see all of the blood and body parts that are scattered around the room. Many were small, covered in bruises and cuts, but no attached to their entire bodies. It looked as though the room had been bathed in blood. The carpet, the curtains, the bedspread and furniture were all covered, bloody knives and other weapons he used in his torture laying across the floor, tables and bed. The sight would have caused any normal person to be traumatized, but I couldn't allow myself to process the emotions of the sight before me.

I was quickly drawn out of my thoughts and processing of the scene in front of us by more gun shots close by. I turned around to see Miguel firing several bullets into Rodriguez already lifeless body. I smile to myself inwardly knowing he was getting his aggressions out. I watch as he unloads his clip into the body before I move over to him laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I think he's dead now." I say to him, and receive a shoulder shrug in return.

"Yeah, I know. I just needed to do that. It felt good." He says before he turns to me. "How many are there here? Can we even tell?"

"I don't think so, but I can tell you that I know Rosa is in here." I say hanging my head. "There is no way he could have done this damage in a short period of time. He had to be doing this before we started at the locations. I just wish I knew so we could have gotten her out and who ever else is in this room."

"There is nothing we could have done about it. We saved who we could; you need to look at it that way. You yourself said that Rosa knew the chances of her survival. Now their children will be free of this, the girls that we saved won't have to worry about anyone coming after them and a major threat has been taken out." Miguel says to me.

"Logically I know that, but emotionally I need time to process." Shaking my head to clear it I turn to the rest of my guys, who are watching us. "Normally I would try to get all of the innocents out of here, but because they are unidentifiable, with the exception of Rosa, honestly there's no point, however sad that makes me. We need to find his office and see if we can get his computer before we get out of here. This place is coming down, and I plan on making it as big as possible. Hopefully it will incinerate him and this horrible scene."

Lester spoke up next, "How do you know that any of these are Rosa? There is almost no way to identify any of these body parts. There is only one that has a head that is somewhat distinguishable." He says with a gulp.

"Yes. And that is Rosa." I say in a low voice. "He must have made her watch all of what he was doing. The man simply went mad, obviously. I have never seen anything like this. The biggest problem I have is that we may never know who the others are that he tortured to make her talk. I'm glad to know that they weren't his children, but I pity the other families that will never know what happened to their children."

"Maybe in his records we will be able to find something." says Ranger. "You never know."

"I hope so." I pause for a minute to take a few deep breaths. "We need to make sure that there are no other guards around before we leave. I want everyone taken care of. No one will be taking over this business. No one will know what was seen in this room but us. The destruction of this property and of his business will be enough to warn others off. I don't want their children to know what happened here. They will not have to live with the thoughts of what their father did to their mother or the others here."

"I agree this is not something that others need to hear about, and the children certainly don't need to know any of this. I am sure that as they get older they will hear some things, but this would destroy them. What will happen to them now?" says Miguel.

"They will be taken care of; we can discuss the details later. Let's get this taken care of. I can't stay in this room much longer." I walk over to Rosa's body, or what is left of it, and whisper to her, "I'm sorry I was unable to save you, but I will keep my promise to take care of your children. They will want for nothing, and they will not know what you endured for them, only that you died protecting them. They will grow up to be the strong and kind people that you raised them to be." I bowed my head and silent tears steam down my face, and I say a silent prayer for her before I stood back up. I turned back around to see my team staring at me with tearful eyes. "Let's get this done." I say.

"We will make sure they are taken care of Babe." Ranger whispers to me, standing right behind me. I take a deep breath and nod my head once before returning to the job. I moved around the room, looking for any picture that I could take for the kids to have as a memory of their mother. On Rosa's night stand I found a picture of the three of them. Unfortunately the frame had blood on it, so I quickly removed the picture from the frame and put it in my pack. I knew the kids didn't have much with them and I wanted them to at least have something of their mother's.

I moved swiftly through placing my packages in the bedroom, of all the places in their house I wanted to make sure this room and everything in it was incinerated. I walked over to where Rodriguez body was on the floor and squatted down with a package. "I hope you rot in Hell you bastard. I will make sure your kids become nothing like you." I place a package under his shirt, stood then left the room.

After the computer had been removed from the office, and the packages had been distributed around the house we were ready to leave. A few times we had come under stack by Rodriguez's men, but we were easily able to take them down. All was quiet in the house and we took one last sweep of the area. Satisfied that we had placed enough explosives to destroy the house we walked out the door and out into the night. Once we were far enough away we stopped and turned to watch the house explode. Pushing the trigger to set off all the devices a small smile graced my lips, satisfaction of a job well done, but also sadness at what exactly had happened here tonight. The ground rumbled beneath our feet and you could see the dirt, debris and smoke up in the sky. Another job well done, the evil taken out, but the innocent lost weighed heavily on our hearts; sometimes it just couldn't be avoided.

Making our way back to the vehicles we were all silent. Once we reached our transportation we unloaded our packs climbed in and off we went back to the hospital. I pulled out my phone to call Rico.

"Hey. It's done. How are they?" I asked as the phone was picked up.

"Glad to hear from you. Their all as good as can be expected. Not much has changed. All that were unconscious are still unconscious. Tests have been run but we are waiting for the results still. None of the families have been called yet." He replied.

"Okay, we are on our way back now. We should be there in about 30 minutes." I say.

"How about Rosa? Were you able to get to her?" He asks quietly.

"No." was all I could say.

"Alright, see you when you get here." He replies and ends the call.

I look out the window of the SUV and try to think of how I'm going to explain this to John and Isa. Would they hate me? Would they want to come back to Columbia or would they want to stay in the US? I guess only time would tell.

Pulling up to the hospital we all exit the SUV's and walk inside. Things had definitely calmed down since we had left. I headed directly toward Lia's room to check on her. When I reached her door I quietly pushed it open and peaked inside, she was sound asleep, with a peaceful expression on her face so I stepped back and let the door close softly. Just the sight of her had my emotions in better control, I knew that she was safe and that the rest of the girls were as well, that was what was important, the rest could wait until later.

In the hallway I noticed that the doctor that was overseeing the girls care was standing at the counter. I walked up to him to get an update. When the man saw me coming he turned toward me with a look I would call fear, I smiled internally, they were learning. I was able to get him to give me an update on all of the girls without hassle and was satisfied that they were all doing well enough to call their families. Physically their wounds would heal, it was the emotional and mental scarring that would take a while to heal.

A few short hours later almost all of the families were here to check on their daughters and all looked relieved. I made sure that I followed through on my promise to speak with Lia's parents. I walked to her room and saw that the door was slightly open. Looking in I quickly noticed her mother sitting on her bed holding her and her father standing by the window. I knocked on the door lightly and then entered. Her father turned around and I saw the shock register on his face, obviously he knew who I was.

I nodded my head at him and then proceeded to walk towards Lia. "You are looking much better this morning Lia. How are you feeling?" I ask her.

"Much better, but I had some nightmares last night. I know that they had to give me something to be able to sleep." She says in a low voice.

"That's understandable. You have been through a lot, it's perfectly natural to be afraid and you may continue to have nightmares but they will pass with time." I pat her hand, and then turn to her parents. "I wanted to let you know just how brave your daughter was when it came to us rescuing her and the others that were taken. She kept them calm and helped us to get them out without anyone being harmed any further. She didn't hesitate and followed my instructions to the letter. You should be very proud of her. The circumstances were difficult and she held it together to make sure that not only she was safe but the other fourteen girls that were in that room with her were calm. If she hadn't done what she did, I have no doubt that there would have been injuries and we may not have been able to get everyone out." I say to them.

I saw her fathers' eyes go wide, and her mother just held onto her tightly with silent tears running down her cheeks. "Please remember that none of this was her fault. She did nothing to cause what happened to her and she will need a lot of help to get passed this. I wanted to offer my help if you need anything for her, therapists, medical care, anything that she might need."

"Thank you for helping our daughter. We have been worried about her since she disappeared. We will make sure that she has everything that needs." Her father responds with a hint of both fear and anger.

"Be sure that you do, I'll be checking in on her from time to time. I like to make sure that those I have contact with stay safe." I say to him with a slight glare. This man was not what he seemed to me. I turned to Lia, "I need to get going, but I will be checking in on you in not too long. Take care of yourself." I would be having someone keep a close eye on him from her on out.

"I will, and thank you again for everything." I gave her a big hug a kiss on the cheek and then leave the room.

I quickly make my way to the guys and we get loaded up into the vehicles and head back to Rico's compound. It was time to get some sleep before we made our phone calls.


	27. Chapter 27 Finishing Touches

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next**

**Finishing Touches**

After a few hours of sleep, a hot shower and allowing the tears to flow for a while I felt much better. Now it was time to make the phone calls and head back home. I decided to get something to eat first and then we could call in. Walking out to the lounge I see that they are all up and have already started eating.

"Nice of you guys to wait for me." I say with a smile.

"We weren't sure how long you were going to sleep. We know hope much you like to sleep Beautiful. Did you want us all to starve?" Lester teases.

"I'll have you know that I wake up just as early as you these days." I state, but smile.

"Have some fruit babe. We need to eat so we can call in then get the hell out of here." Ranger states.

"In a hurry to go home Ranger, or just to get out of Rico's compound?" I giggle.

"I'm in a hurry to have a discussion with you that is long overdue. We can't do that until this is resolved. The sooner we call in the sooner we can have that talk." He whispers in my ear.

"You sure you want to do that? You may not like what you hear." I state and he just stares at me with his blank face.

After eating breakfast we cleaned up and pulled out the sat phone to call in our job, placing it in the middle of the table. The phone rings twice and then is answered "Yes."

"As it stands now the job is complete. However I don't think we got them all." At this comment the guys look at me with their blank stares.

"How many do you think were missed?" Asks the General.

"Not sure honestly, everyone in the locations we took out was eliminated, but at the hospital I noticed that one of the girls' father's was not exactly thrilled to get his daughter back. I get the feeling that he knows more than just his daughter disappearing. I am putting some men out there to watch him, and to see what we can find out. I also warned him that he was going to be watched, just not in those exact words." I state.

"Okay, but for the most part this issue has been resolved?" Asks the General.

"Yes." I respond.

"Sir, I think that as of right now there is nothing more that can be done. Without further information we can't do anymore." Ranger states.

"Yes. We will keep an eye on this issue and as things crop up we will take care of them then. I will send the plane to the landing strip tonight. Job well done everyone. And Blaze, nice fireworks." Says the General.

I giggle, "I aim to please. How about our other issues? Have those been taken care of for when we return?"

"One has yes. Ready and waiting, Ramos will have the details for you. The other, not quite, he keeps slipping under the radar. You may need to hunt him down." He states flatly. I hang my head for a moment.

With a sigh, and a deep breath, I ask, "Which one? Although I think I already know."

"You will need to take care of Blackhawk. He hasn't surfaced since before you left." He states.

"Where was he last seen? I'll put in a few calls before we leave." I state.

"The last two locations were Chicago and Miami. Only days apart from each other." He comments.

"Alright. I will deal with the one we already have before looking for him myself, then I want a few days off." I sigh.

"Sounds like a plan. The jet will be there by nine hundred hours. Have a safe trip home." He says and the line goes dead.

I look at the guys and they are all staring at me. "I need to make some phone calls." I go to stand up but am stopped by Ranger's voice.

"Babe, who is Blackhawk and what do you know about him? I would also like to know how you knew about Lia's dad." He states.

"Well, Lia's dad was coincidence. He was there when we arrived back to the hospital and I went to check on her before coming back here. When he saw who I was the look of fear and guilt was all over him. I think that he may have had something to do with this operation, but far enough out of it that he didn't have access to the compounds. Rodriguez would only allow those that he most trusted to gain access. There is something off about this man, I just don't know what. So I told him I would be looking out for Lia and if she needed anything to let me know. He just didn't seem to be concerned with his daughters return. He almost seemed disappointed that she was found. I'll have people watching him to see if he makes any moves and it needed pull Lia out and take him down, I will do it myself. It just depends on what is happening at the time." I explain.

"As for Blackhawk," I pause and look towards Hawk and Bones who were watching me to see what I would give away, "I have known him for a long time, longer than any of my connections. I will find him and he won't be happy when I do." I turn to Hawk and Bones, "Can you two help me with that?" I ask them. They both nod their heads in acceptance. "The General has given me cart blanche for this."

"Babe, do you think you could give us more details? What is going on?" Ranger asks.

"Hawk and Bones know, but I can't get into it any further right now, maybe when we get back to Trenton, but don't push." I say. Ranger nods his head. "I have to make a few more calls, why don't you guys pack up your gear. I'll be back out in a few." I say and walk to my room and close the door.

Picking up by business phone I dial 1 and it is answered on the first ring. "Everything go okay?"

"The major problem has been taken care of. We will have some others being looked after to see where else we need to clean up, but we are coming home tonight." I respond.

"Good. Your grandmother was getting nervous that she hadn't heard from you. I will have a message sent to her. I have the details for Johnson for when you get back. The little weasel is screaming bloody murder." He says with a chuckle.

I snicker at that, "Good see how he likes being treated like a prisoner. It may help him to understand what he has done to some of the men he has sent out on missions. Being behind a desk makes him feel like he is invincible. I can't wait to get my hands on him." I smile evilly.

"Now, now, didn't you get some aggressions out down there?" Alexander snickers.

"Not last night actually, I won't go into details, but it was horrible. After he was taken out Miguel unloaded his clip into him, but the anger was still rolling off us. That was one scene I will never be able to get out of my head." I say sadly.

"You need a vacation. Maybe the island would do you some good." Alexander offers.

"Maybe, the beach would be great. I just have to find Blackhawk first and deal with him. Not something I am looking forward to honestly. I have known him my entire life; I still find it hard to believe that he would do something like this. But then again I guess unless you know you have their loyalty you can never be certain about anyone." I say.

"True, but sometimes even then loyalty can be a funny thing. Look at Ranger." He states.

"Well, I still have to talk to him tonight before we leave. Even with him out of the picture for the last two years I still trust him with my life, and I think the feeling is mutual. I just don't know where that leaves us now." I comment.

"You know he loves you. He is a proud man, and he let his pride get in the way. Listen to what he has to say, before you jump to conclusions, okay. I want to see you happy." He says.

"I have been happy. You know that." I comment back.

"Yes, but I know that you hold back, even Adrian can see that. He loves you with all his heart, but we both want you to be as happy as you can be. Everything will work out. You know that any decision you make will be okay with us, nothing will change how we feel about you or our agreement. You need to let Ranger know all the details sooner or later though." He says.

"Only after I know what he has to say. And it probably won't be tonight." I state.

"That is up to you entirely, but don't underestimate him. I think he can handle it." He said.

"Your right. Can you let Adrian know that I will call him before I leave tonight? We should be back sometime in the morning, but I know he'll be gone before I get to the house." I say to him.

"Absolutely, stay safe and I will see you in the morning." Alexander says and then ends the call.

Quickly calling Tony, "Hey there, glad to hear from you. What's up?" He asks.

"Well, I need you to look into someone for me. I need to know if he's in your area or not. If he is, then someone needs to keep an eye on him until I get there." I say to him.

"Sure thing, who is it?" Tony agrees without hesitation.

"Blackhawk." I say flatly.

"Holy Shit. You're serious about this? What's going on?" He asks

"Completely. I will have to explain everything later, but you know exactly who he is, so let's just say that he no longer is in favor with me or the government. They haven't been able to track him down, but he was seen in Chicago before I left for Columbia. I will also have Jeffrey looking into him there as well. Someone spotted him there as well." I explained.

"Alright, consider it done. When will you be back?" Tony asks.

"We leave tonight and will arrive in the morning. I will probably be heading straight to the house for some sleep and then dealing with a weasel. After Blackhawk is dealt with I'm going on vacation, I need some down time." I complain.

"Sounds like it. Especially with this shit, never would have thought it honestly. It just doesn't seem his style, but you never know. Have a safe flight. Give me a call tomorrow when you have a chance." Tony says.

"I will. Tell Marissa I said hi. If I have to come to Chicago I want to go shopping again. I need retail therapy." I chuckle.

"She'll love it. The damage you two did last time was truly a sight. Talk to you later." Tony says.

"Bye." I say with a laugh.

'Last call for now', I think to myself. I dial Jeffrey and he picks up in the second ring.

"Hey, how did it go?" Jeffrey asks.

"Not completely as I had hoped, but the main issue is taken care of. Rodriguez is out of the picture, but unfortunately so is Rosa." I say sadly.

"Shit." Jeffrey takes a few deep breaths. "Okay, the kids are fine; I won't say anything to them yet. They spent time with Maricela and the kids at Disney World. Tommy is keeping them entertained for the time being. How do you want to handle it with them?"

"I haven't decided yet. I want to talk to John and see how he feels. I don't know if they will want to stay in the US or come back to Columbia. Either way they will be taken care, I just want to know where they feel most comfortable." I explain.

"Well they can stay here if they like. They keep asking about you. When do you think that you will be able to come and see them?" He asks.

"I have an issue that I need to resolve in Trenton, but I also need to have you look into someone for me. He was spotted before I left for Columbia in Miami but hasn't been seen since. And you aren't going to like who it is either. Blackhawk."

"Fuck!" Jeffrey growls. "What did he do?"

"I can't get into it now, but lets' say that it was to both me and the US government. He's on both shit lists." I explain.

"I'll see if we can find him. Do you want me to keep him here if he's still around?" he asks.

"No, I don't want him anywhere near the kids. I'm not exactly sure what his intentions were. I want to talk with him, but either way he's still going down. He betrayed his country." I state.

"Understood. I'll see what I can find. Give me a call when you get back and we can figure this out." He suggests.

"Thanks will do. Keep the kids happy. I hope that I will be there in a few days to talk with them. We leave tonight and should be back in the morning. I'll talk to you then." I finish.

"Sure thing, fly safe." And the call was ended.

I stand at the window in my room looking out over the landscape for a bit trying to clear my head. Deciding to finish up with the loose ends here in Columbia I make my way downstairs to meet with Rico. We made our travel arrangements to the air strip, how to get Maricela and the kids back to Columbia, as well as who we were still to keep an eye on. Many more phone calls later from Rico's office everything in Columbia was organized and I was ready to go home. Returning to my room to pack everything up for our flight home I was able to work quickly, I was hoping to have a quick nap before we left. A knock at my door told me that was not going to happen. Walking to the door I open it to find Ranger on the other side.

"Can we talk now?" He asks. I nod my head, step back and allow him entrance into my room before closing the door again. I turn to find him staring directly into my eyes.

**Yep, cliffie! More to come tomorrow I promise. Maybe even tonight if I can get it the way I want it. Happy Easter Everyone. **


	28. Chapter 28 The Talk

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Warning: Those that like the Cupcake ending will not be happy with this story. Not much physical harm comes to Morelli, but his ego definitely gets beaten to a pulp. Not sure if this is a HEA story at this point, but let me know if you have any suggestions. This is my first FanFiction attempt and I Promise to complete it. I am having a lot of fun with the story so far. Thank you in advance for reading and please let me know what you think. **

**A big thank you to those who have reviewed my story as well and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you think should happen next**

**The Talk**

Looking directly into his eyes I could swear I could see into his soul. The eyes that used to offer such comfort and assurance, now only held fear, regret and guilt. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around him and tell him that everything would be okay, but I knew that wasn't true. Ranger had a lot to explain and I had a lot to tell him. If we could listen to what the other had to say and accept what the other felt then we could work things out, but I know we have a long way to go.

"Babe, I'm so sorry for walking away from you. I have regretted it from the moment those elevator doors closed the day I left." He says sadly. "I couldn't watch you change in front of me. It would have killed me little by little each day seeing the light leave your eyes. I can see know that I was wrong, but at the time I didn't want to…. no I couldn't live with the guilt that I would be the reason that you lost that. I never wanted this life for you. I never wanted you to see this darker side of the world we live in. You were already exposed to so much in Trenton; I couldn't imagine what the rest of the world would do to you. The death, and destruction outside of Trenton is so great that I wanted to keep you in the little bubble that we lived in. The fear that I had of the number of stalkers increasing, the kidnapping attempts at home about killed me. The thought of someone outside of Trenton getting a hold of you where we couldn't find you was absolutely terrifying."

I moved past him to sit on the bed while he continued to speak. I watched as he searched for the words to express his feelings, as he began to pace the room, understanding that communication was not one of his best abilities. He seemed to miss that I had even moved to the bed.

"The last two years have been a living hell. There hasn't been a minute that I haven't thought about you, not a night that I didn't dream of you and what you were doing. I couldn't get you out of my mind." He shook his head to clear it and took a deep breath. "I thought that if I could get away from you that I would move on and forget what was going on back at home, but that's not what happened. I was absolutely miserable without you. I wanted to come back so many times, but I talked myself out of it. When I got your messages that things were going good for you the only thing that I could think was that you were better off without me. You we doing everything on your own, and I was angry with myself. That's why when I chose to return your messages you got one with no emotion. Whether I was proud of you or not, I couldn't express that, because it hurt too much. I was disappointed in myself. I chose to do back to back assignments to prevent myself from thinking about you, but it didn't work."

He paused his pacing to look at me again. "I think that some part of me always wanted you to need me. You don't need me to protect you anymore; you don't need to come to me for comfort, or anything for that matter. I feel completely useless to you, that has never happened to me before. I have always been in control, the best at my job, and you have surpassed me even in my job. I knew once you were trained you would be unstoppable, I just wished that I had been there to see the changes and how much you have grown. I can never tell you how sorry I am, or how much I wished that I had made different choices. But I need you in my life."

I watched him, the blank face was no where to be seen. I could see that he was telling me the truth, I could see the anguish in his eyes, the defeat he felt showed in the slump of his shoulders, but does that really change anything? Does him telling me how he felt and his reasons for leaving me behind change anything? Can I really trust him again in my life, and am I willing to attempt at having him around again. It felt like he gave up on me, he didn't even try to explain himself. He used to be my rock and when I needed him most he wasn't there. I had to learn to stand on my own two feet, but that's a good thing, right? I am stronger because of it now then I probably would have been if he were around then.

"When I was in that room Benitez had me in I knew I was going to die. I thought about nothing but you, how much I regretted not being there for you. How much I wanted hold you in my arms one last time, to kiss you, to make love to you, to tell you how much I loved you. I never before sitting in that room thought that I would die with any regrets, but I couldn't stop thinking about how I had screwed up so many ways with you. Then when I was brought into the house and Gutierrez was there I knew it would only be a few moments before my life was over. The man had been after me for years and I knew he wanted to put an end to me. I had lost all hope. Sitting there on my knees in front of him I said a silent prayer for you and God to forgive me for all that I had done." He paused to look away and clear his throat. Taking a deep breath he continued, "And then by the grace of God there you were. You saved me from a fate that I had just accepted and brought me back to life. I don't know how to explain how I felt exactly. Relieved wouldn't even come close, I guess it would be more along the lines of Shock. I couldn't react, I just stared at you, I didn't think that anyone knew where I was. I didn't even think anyone would be coming for me after a while. And I especially didn't think that you would be there. After two years of being separated from you, I finally felt whole with you in the room. Even though I thought we would both die, I was finally at peace knowing that you didn't hate me, because why would you come for someone that you hated."

Why would he think I hated him? We always accepted the decisions the other has made. We may not like the decisions, but we accepted them and moved forward. This side of Ranger was truly confusing, emotions were almost never shown from this man, yet he stood there before me spilling out his heart with tears streaming down his face freely.

"I could never live with you being hurt because of something from my past, and that was why I stayed away from you for so long in the beginning. Then when you asked for training I was so proud of you. I knew you were serious, I could see it in your eyes. I stayed away from you then because I didn't want to distract you from what you wanted, but I kicked myself for the longest time because I thought that I had missed my chance to tell you that I loved you when I walked away two years ago. You saving me, even though you had no reason to, gave me another chance to tell you just what you mean to me Babe. You are my life, you are my soul, you are my heart and it has just been given back to me in the last few days. I can't go back to living the way that I have these last few years, I would die this time. Without you I am nothing because I love you with everything that I am." He looks at me pleading for me to say something.

"Ranger, I could never hate you. I don't understand why you would think I would. You were always there for me in Trenton, you agreed to train me, you always protected me when I was unable to myself, and you were my rock then. When you left without even trying to explain to me why I was crushed. I thought that you had given up on me, that you looked at what I wanted as some kind of slap in the face, that you looked at me differently. But I had warned you when I first asked for training that if you couldn't or wouldn't help with what I wanted that I would find someone who would. When I decided to stand on my own two feet I wasn't going to let anyone stop me, no one has the right to tell me what to do or not do. I had that enough growing up; I didn't need that in my adult life too. But I never hated you, I couldn't hate you. You have always had my heart, but that has never been the main issue. You could never get passed your damn ego and your self imposed life rules like 'my life doesn't lend itself to relationships', or 'my love comes with a condom and not a ring'. You and your stupid one word answers to any questions that I asked, you have never tried to explain anything to me before, you simply told me what you thought you wanted me to hear and left it at that. Well, now our positions are reversed, there are things I can't or won't tell you that I have dealt with over these last two years. Love just isn't enough and I have never been able to trust you with telling you that I loved you. You had up so many walls that you wouldn't have acknowledged it or just run the other way. Don't you think that I would have told you if I thought you would have stuck around?" I shake my head sadly.

"Babe, you know I don't talk much, especially when I have issues controlling my emotions." Before he could go any further I cut him off.

"Controlling your emotions? You never showed any other then anger or amusement when I blew something up. You body language is always stiff and you expected me to be able to be able to understand that you loved me from that? You need to communicate Ranger, and this little conversation can't be the only time that you actually open up to me. I won't be involved with someone that doesn't speak and expects me to understand silence. I deserve better, and I get better from the ones I consider family." I was getting angry now. How dare he bring up his emotional control when he showed none.

"That's not what I meant, Babe. Where you are concerned I have very little self control, emotionally and physically. I usually think that by saying nothing I won't say anything to get me into trouble, but I can see that it has had the opposite effect on you. My training hasn't allowed me to express my feelings for so long I think that I need to relearn how to show them." At that I laugh, while he stares at me.

"You mean you need a class for the emotionally stunted?" I laugh some more, "Yeah that would be good for you." He just stares at me. After catching my breath I continue, "Ranger you need to understand that there are a lot of things that are different about me and over time if you choose to be around me you will understand them, but don't expect to learn everything that happened over night, and certainly don't expect things to go back to the way they used to be between us. I won't ever again be anyone's doormat. I don't need anyone to defend me to others, and when I give orders they are followed. If you can accept that then we can try to rebuild our friendship. But I will warn you that you may not like some of the things that you will learn." He blinks and looks at me before he speaks again.

"Why did you use you favor from Gutierrez to protect me?" He asks.

"There was nothing else that I needed from him at the time, and I knew that you travelled in the area quite a bit. I wanted to make sure that there was one less person gunning for you. I was in a position that allowed me to offer you the same type of protection that you did for me back in Trenton. Besides once he agreed I was able to sleep better knowing you weren't his biggest target." I answered simply.

"Then how did you protect me and all of the other soldiers in this area?" He asks.

"I was able to use my influence once things started to settle down. I had enough manpower behind me, as well as my reputation to threaten anyone that went after not only you, but also any US soldiers that came here at the request of the Columbian Government. Nobody wanted to mess with Blaze, trust me most people that know what's good for them choose to challenge me. If they do they don't last long." I reply.

"I've noticed." He states flatly.

"Look Ranger, we both made our choices. You chose the Army and a life in Special Ops, a life that had many secrets and is very dangerous to you and those around you. I chose something similar. You may not like it, but I don't care what you think. You either accept me for who I am now or don't bother being around me. You can choose to continue on your missions that way you have, and live in hell as you say, or you can go back with us and get back to your life before you left. You have other friends and family there that are worried about you and need you around. You walked out on them as well Ranger, not just me. I didn't and still don't completely understand why you did what you did, but they have no idea why you just disappeared and they didn't deserve it. You need to explain to them what you were thinking and stop acting like a spoiled child who doesn't get their way. I accepted your choice, and now you have to live with the consequences."

"Will we ever get passed this Babe? How can I make this up to you? I don't want to be without you. I can't live without you." He pleads.

"God I hope so Ranger, because I have lived in my own hell without you, but I don't know if we will be what we once were to each other. I agree with some of what you said about feeling whole again when we are in the same room, but is that really enough? Can your ego accept my job? Can you accept that I will be going off to do things that you can have no part in? I think that right now all we can hope for is friendship and then see where it goes from there, but I won't put my life on hold for you, just like I haven't these last few years." At the last statement he glared at me. What? Did he think I was a nun this whole time? "See, and there is one of the things that you were not going to like. I may as well get another one out there for you now. He continues to stare at me. "My last name is Ramos on all legal documents. You will find no evidence that a Stephanie Plum ever existed other than in newspaper articles that were printed. Anything having to do with me now is listed under Ramos." At this his eye widen in surprise.

"When did this happen?" He growls.

"Shortly after you left." I replied.

"Why?" He asked angrily.

"I wanted no connection to the Plum Family. Other than blood I have no connection to them. The only ones I keep in contact with at all are Valerie and her family and Grandma Mazur. No one else matters from that family." I simply state.

"But why Ramos?" He questions.

"Because he offered. Alexander is like the father I wished I'd had. After I met him when I was helping you we kept in touch. He already knew who I was, but had never met me before. Apparently I was the talk of the dinner table among many of my friends before I took this position, that is actually the reason they offered it to me in the first place. I already explained that. He offered his name as a way to welcome me into his family and I accepted." I answered. "I also live at the house in Deal with Alexander and Adrian when I am in New Jersey." At this comment his fists clench at his sides. "I told you there would be things that you wouldn't like." I comment to him.

"It was a bit unexpected yes." I see him taking deep breaths to try to control his temper. Before he could respond further there was a knock at the door and I walked over to answer it, on the other side of the door stood Lester and Tank looking a bit sheepish.

"Are you guys ready to go? We need to get the SUV loaded and head to the airstrip for the jet." asks Tank.

"Yeah, were ready, nothing that can't be finished later. Can you get the bags from over there? I'll get my pack and meet you out in the lounge." I ask.

"Sure thing Beautiful." Lester gives me a kiss on the head, picks up the bags and walks to the door.

"Babe, we have a lot more to talk about. I just need to know that you won't give up on me. That you won't shut me out of your life, I couldn't survive it if you did. I love you so much that it physically hurts to stand here and not be able to touch you." Ranger says.

"I know Ranger, but I wasn't the one that shut you out to begin with. You did that all on your own, you can't expect me to just welcome you back like nothing happened. I love you, but I still don't know if I can trust you with my heart." I say sadly. Picking up my pack I turn back to him. "Come on we need to get going. I want to go home."

"Home is where ever you are Babe." Ranger says as he follows me out the door.

TBC…..

**So, What did you think? Alright, this is the end of the first story in this series. A new one will start up where this one left either this coming weekend or the following week. PM me if there is anything in particular that you want to see happen in that story. Any questions that you want answered that haven't been addressed in this story that you are dying to know and I will try to figure them into the next story. **

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. This was my first attempt at FanFiction so all comments and ideas have been greatly appreciated. They really kept me going.**


	29. You Think It's The Past Prologue

**You Think It's The Past**

**AN: Alright, so here is the prologue for the follow up story to **_**You Think You Know Me**_**. Sorry it took so long, but I got caught up in the other stories that I have been writing. The outline for this story has been written for a while, and I have been adding to it almost daily. The posts for this story will not be everyday, but rather every other day. If something changes I will let you know. More than likely this story will begin full swing on Monday. As always I look forward to any and all review good or bad. I look forward to hearing what you think about my stories. **

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on my first story. Also a special Thank You to Margaret Fowler for you encouragement. **

**I hope you like it. **

_Prologue_

_Previously in You Think You Know Me_

_"Are you guys ready to go? We need to get the SUV loaded and head to the airstrip for the jet." asks Tank._

_"Yeah, were ready, nothing that can't be finished later. Can you get the bags from over there? I'll get my pack and meet you out in the lounge." I ask. _

_"Sure thing Beautiful." Lester gives me a kiss on the head, picks up the bags and walks to the door. _

_"Babe, we have a lot more to talk about. I just need to know that you won't give up on me. That you won't shut me out of your life, I couldn't survive it if you did. I love you so much that it physically hurts to stand here and not be able to touch you." Ranger says. _

_"I know Ranger, but I wasn't the one that shut you out to begin with. You did that all on your own, you can't expect me to just welcome you back like nothing happened. I love you, but I still don't know if I can trust you with my heart." I say sadly. Picking up my pack I turn back to him. "Come on we need to get going. I want to go home."_

_"Home is where ever you are Babe." Ranger says as he follows me out the door. _

XXXXXX

(Ranger's POV)

Leaving the compound of Gutierrez I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as the plane lifted off the ground. We were finally headed back to Trenton and I now knew that my Babe had protected me like I had protected her. I'm both honored and humbled by her actions, I'm also more determined than ever to earn back her trust and love. I'm willing to do anything that I can to see that that happens. I had no plan to leave her side anytime soon, as far as I was concerned, where she went I went. We could work together now instead of separately through out our contracts.

The farther we got from Columbia the better I felt. I watched my Babe make phone calls throughout the flight and interact with my guys and I felt jealous. They all knew more about her new life than I did. I watched her interact comfortably with my men, I even noticed that she pulled Hawk and Bones aside at one point. I also watched her with Lester and couldn't help but notice that they acted differently around each other than they used to, and much differently than she did with the others. If I was honest with myself I didn't like the comfort I was seeing between the two of them. There was a level of intimacy that didn't used to be there. This line of thinking made my mind detour in another uncomfortable direction, just who had she slept with while I was away? Was she in a serious relationship with someone else? She mentioned that she didn't put her life on hold, and I had a feeling that she was not only talking about her training and work. I had to shut down that train of thought quickly before I drove myself nuts. The thoughts of another mans hands on her was just too much for me.

Thinking back to our conversation I was still stunned by her name change. Of all the families to get involved with she chose Alexander Ramos? The name alone would bring her more enemies than any normal person could even imagine. Obviously she could take care of herself, I'd seen it myself several times, but why take on the name of an Arms Dealer in the New Jersey and European syndicate. It must have made sense to her, but it sure as hell didn't make sense to me. Alexander was flirtatious, I know that he fell for her when she helped me since I was framed for Homer's murder, but he had his moments mentally. I'd have to look further into this arrangement.

She seemed to understand, or at least accept my explanation of my lack of control when it came to her, but I knew I still had a lot more to explain to her. We had a lot of ground to cover, since I missed more than two years of her life, but if we didn't stop getting interrupted it would take forever to get there, and I was running out of patience. Our lack, or I guess I should say MY lack of communication skills wasn't and wouldn't help in that. I was so close to what I wanted, now I just had to figure out how to get it. And I would. I am nothing if not determined.

I felt the plane start to descend and felt the last bit of tension that remained from our previous situation in my body release once we touched down in Newark at the private airstrip. We were finally home, I knew there was a lot of work to do with the information that we had recovered in Columbia, but we were home and could work on getting our relationship on track. I wouldn't settle for anything less than my Babe being MINE. That's how it should be and how it will be.

As we all got off the plane I noticed the two black Rangeman SUV's along with a black limo waiting by the hanger the plane would be stored in. All of our luggage was taken off the plane and we were turning to walk to the cars. That's when I noticed that the people exiting the limo were Alexander and Adrian Ramos. I felt my blood pressure rise as my Babe headed straight for them. My Babe gave Alexander a kiss on the cheek and a hug before stepping into the arms of Adrian Ramos for a kiss that was definitely more than just friendly. He lifted her up and swung her around in a circle and I could hear the laugh that I had longed to hear, and it hurt that someone else was the one to cause it. I started to walk in their direction and was stopped by Hawk and Tank by hands on my arms. Before I could say anything my Babe was waiving to us and stepping into the limo with the two Ramos Men and pulling out of the airstrip.

"Calm down Ranger. Going all cavemen on her is not how you are going to earn her trust and love back, if that's what you intend. Give it time man, she may be different, but the old Bombshell is still in there." Tank explained.

All I felt was rage within me for seeing Adrian touch her. I wanted to break him in half, I wanted to hide his body somewhere that I knew no one would find it. Only problem I could see with that is that my Babe would never trust me again. I would have to work to earn her trust. And that is what I had to keep reminding myself. I nodded to Tank in acceptance and climbed into one of the SUV's after loading my gear into the back and we headed back to Haywood. It would be my first time back in more than two years.

**Let me know what you think. Thank you for reading along, this should be a fun ride. I hope you'll read along with me.**


End file.
